Final Fantasy IV Interlude: The Short Story
by Celes Chere
Summary: [A novelization of Final Fantasy IV Interlude for PSP.] A year has passed since Cecil, Kain, Rosa, Rydia and Edge returned to their lives after the war that nearly decimated the Blue Planet. However, not everything has changed for the better, and Cecil struggles to reconcile the past with his future while a new threat quietly rises in the shadow cast by the crystals' light.
1. Dream One: Solstice

Final Fantasy IV – Interlude –

A Short Story in Five Parts

Compilation & Additional Scenarios: Celes Chere

Original Characters/Story/Scenario: SquareEnix

Dream One: Solstice

 _One could find no more a hallowed sanctum on the Blue Planet than one of its eight crystal chambers: four on the surface, and four below ground. They contained four crystals of light, and their inverse: four crystals of darkness._

 _A year prior, the eight crystals had been gathered, opening a pathway that would allow those who wished the Blue Planet harm to become harbingers of calamity. Throughout the ordeal, the crystals of the Blue Planet were revealed to be a catalyst that harnessed frightful energy, expanding far beyond the previously understood concept of the crystals only being necessary to keep the planet's elements in balance._

* * *

On the eve of the summer solstice, in the year XX10, a crystal of darkness ensconced in its underworld shrine trembled, waves of indigo light bursting forth from the crystal's core and bouncing against the mirrored walls and ceilings of the chamber. As the light faded, an ashen specter appeared on the crystal dais.

It was a young woman who turned away from the crystal floating behind her, disoriented as she tried to focus her gray, lusterless eyes on the steps of the dais. She had shoulder-length hair, with a hyacinth-shaped hairpin sweeping the right side of her part from her eyes. She wore a tunic that reached mid-thigh, the thin straps of her top slipping down her shoulders and the hanging sleeves on her arms slumping down to her wrists. The cape attached to her shoulder straps was tattered, and the sash tied around her waist was hanging loosely, the bow nearly undone. Her thigh-high boots echoed on the steps of the dais as she took a timid step forward and swiftly collapsed upon the stairs with a dull "thump", her eyes sliding shut.

Behind her, the crystal resumed shedding its light silently…

* * *

"Happy birthday, Your Highness! And happy solstice!"

Rosa moaned and rolled over in bed, opening her eyes slowly.

Standing before her, with identical grins on each of their faces, were her two handmaidens, Penelope and Freya. Penelope, who had light red hair pulled up in a chignon, cheekbones the color of apples, and a button of a nose with freckles sprayed over it, was carrying a massive bouquet of pink roses that was as nearly as big as her. Behind the explosion of blooms, you could barely see the open, traditional ivory and pink robes of the Baronian white mages that were draped over her pale shoulders, covering the red peasant-style shift she wore underneath.

Freya, a maiden with deep violet curls and a complexion as smooth as almond butter, had a much more regal look – a long, roman nose, a pale, small mouth, and a slender profile that artists would line up to paint. She too wore the vestments of a white mage, the collar of her robe unbuttoned enough at the top to show a hint of her tangerine tunic. In her long fingers, she held a beautifully wrapped turquoise package, topped with a matching ribbon.

Rosa sat up, clasping her hand over her mouth as she let out a loud yawn. The window next to the bed was wide open, letting in scores of sunlight and revealing a cloudless, perfect sky. The spot next to her was empty, the sheets wrinkled and the comforter tossed back – as expected. Cecil would have risen hours ago, and as of late he had taken to not waking Rosa when he left due to her lingering illness.

"Are you surprised?" Penelope giggled. Rosa nodded and returned her smile, dropping her hand from her mouth.

"I am…thank you. You _didn't_ have to do this."

"You only turn twenty once," Freya said, handing Rosa the gift. "This is from both of us."

Rosa eagerly pulled away the ribbon and ripped off the wrapping paper. Inside was a beautiful white silk scarf, with an ivory hand-stitched pattern of a snow-capped mountain range and curly clouds drifting throughout the scenery. It had a hand-rolled hem that someone had obviously taken very special care to stitch to perfection. Rosa's eyes widened as she draped the scarf around her shoulders, letting it tumble over the curves of her breasts and spill into her lap.

"This is amazing…" Rosa shook her head. "I…I honestly don't know how to thank you. And it's so light…I can wear it all summer!"

"You need to see it on the proper way," Penelope insisted, tugging on her hand. "Out of bed, Lady Rosa!"

Rosa knew it was pointless to resist, because Penelope would just keep needling her until she gave in, so she stepped out of bed and let Penelope guide her to the full-length, crystal-gilded mirror in the far corner of her and Cecil's bedroom, near their wardrobe. Freya followed, lifting Rosa's waist-length yellow-gold hair away from her body as Penelope gently wrapped the scarf around Rosa's neck and shoulders, tying the ends into a discreet knot and tucking it in under several looping layers.

Rosa gazed at herself in the mirror, and couldn't help but feel a little disheartened at her reflection. The scarf itself was beautiful – it would make a fine distraction from the rest of her appearance. Her once bright, wide brown eyes were slightly sunken, and dark pink circles had taken residence underneath. Her normally peaches and cream complexion was more pallid than healthy, and her lips were cracked. When Freya released her hair, it hung limply where it had once framed her face with tousled curls and poured like a waterfall down her back. She felt atrophied and weak, having not properly exercised for weeks – her white, lace chemise was hanging from her frame.

"Smile!" Freya said, patting the scarf. "You've started coming around…you've been feeling better than ever these past few days, right?"

"Yes, you're right," Rosa nodded. "I've been sleeping through the night more and more. I'm just ready for this virus – or whatever it is – to go away. I can't believe it's taken a few weeks _just_ for me to get to this point." She sighed, and gently unraveled the scarf. "What's on my schedule for the day?"

"Nothing, Lady Rosa," said Penelope. "His Highness asked us to clear your schedule – he wants you to take the day off for your birthday. He's going to meet with all of your appointments today, and he asked us to teach the level three healing class today in your place."

"Cecil…" Rosa smiled and shook her head. "He's too kind."

"What did His Highness get you for your birthday, anyway?" Penelope took the scarf, placing it on Rosa's dressing table. "Or is it a secret?"

"Oh, it's not a secret," Rosa laughed. "We don't really do gifts – he hasn't gotten me anything since my wedding ring. I told him all I wanted was a date – so I'm hoping I feel well enough tonight to actually go on one."

"So romantic," Freya sighed. "Well, we'd best get you in the bath then so you can be on your way. What do you think you're going to do today with all that free time?"

Rosa tilted her head. "Hmmm…I think I'll go into town and visit my mother. It's been quite a while."

"I'll run the bath, Lady Rosa," Penelope volunteered. "Would you like us to pick out an outfit for you today, or do you want to do it yourself?"

"I'll do it myself," Rosa blushed, shaking her head. It had been nearly a year since she had been crowned Queen of Baron, and she _still_ couldn't handle being waited on hand and foot. Penelope and Freya had been lifesavers when she had been too sick to do anything for herself, but now that she was starting to feel better again, she was longing for a modicum of privacy to return to her life. "I'll bring the clothes into the bath and wash my own hair today. You two probably need to get ready for the class, right?"

"Sounds good!" Freya smiled, taking the hint. "Happy birthday again, Your Highness."

She and Penelope left the room, and Rosa let out a small sigh as she pulled open her wardrobe. She couldn't wait to sink into that glorious bath, and start feeling slightly human again. She pulled out a gauzy, pale pink, sleeveless empire-waist gown, deciding that it would go perfectly with her birthday gift, and took it across the hall with her into the private bath. Penelope had already prepped the basin, filling it with Rosa's favorite perfumed soap. Rosa hung the dress on the door and pulled her chemise up and over her head. Stepping into the basin, she let out a squeal of delight at the perfect temperature of the water, and sank down until the water lapped over her chest. Closing her eyes and leaning back, she let herself enjoy the warm rays of the sun pouring in through the oversized windows before sliding under the water to wash her hair.

* * *

"Hello, Mother!"

The door to her childhood home had been unlatched, so Rosa let herself in, like she used to do when she would go back and forth between home and Baron Castle for her white magic and archery lessons. She had had her own room at the castle thanks to King Baron's generosity, but found herself coming back home more often than not. Her two best friends in the castle at that time, Cecil and Kain, were usually too busy with their military friends when she got out of classes, so she would just go home at night and talk all about her day with her mother.

"Rosa!" Joanna Farrell stood up from the table she had been sitting and sipping tea, and ran over to hug her. "Happy birthday, dear…are you feeling well enough to be out like this?"

"I'm doing much better," Rosa said, pulling back to look at her mother's face. Joanna was, in nearly every way, an aged clone of Rosa. They shared the same blonde hair, which her mother always kept piled high in an opulent bun at the crown of her head, the same wide brown eyes, and the same bow-shaped, cotton-candy colored lips. Rosa had never seen her father, since he had died before she was born, but she couldn't imagine that she had gotten _any_ of his features – her mother always told her she had just inherited his attitude. Joanna was still a beautiful and fearsome woman – she had been nobility back in the day and one of the most prominent white mages in Baron, but she had cut her career short when Rosa's Dragoon father had passed away, giving up everything to raise the child she had not known she was carrying until several weeks after his death.

That was the main reason her mother had – and still continued – to needle Rosa about her choice in romantic partners. When Cecil had been a Dark Knight, her mother feared one or both of them would be killed on the battlefield, and tried to steer her away from him and toward Kain, who had the comparatively less dangerous occupation of Dragoon and just happened to also come from a long line of distinguished ancestry, much like Rosa's father had. Now that Cecil was King, her mother had backed off considerably, but she still had her moments…And she was about to have another one.

"You need to eat," her mother said, pushing Rosa down into a chair at the table. "I'll make you a big breakfast."

"Thank you!" Rosa smiled. That had been exactly what she was looking for – it was only recently that she could start keeping food down again, and she was craving a home cooked meal. Having a gourmet private chef at the castle just wasn't the same. She reached over and took the tea her mother had abandoned, taking a long sip.

"So…are the rumors true?" Her mother began, raising her voice slightly over the sound of eggs frying on the stove. "Is Cecil going to officially reestablish the Dragoons today?"

"Oh…well, yes," Rosa blinked. She had briefly forgotten that it was officially being decreed today, but Cecil had been discussing it with his military aides for weeks, so it wasn't exactly news to her. Since he had ascended the throne, his initial priority was to revive the Red Wings, Baron's air force. Golbez had transformed most of the Red Wings into monsters when he stole Baron's fleet of airships, and the soldiers who had survived the siege had fled for their lives. Cecil had been able to convince most of them to come back, and had to start over with filling out the rest of the fleet, including finding a new captain. Now that the Red Wings were back in fighting shape, he had moved on reviving the Dragoons.

Rosa found it odd that her mother had taken any kind of interest in military affairs. And then the other shoe dropped.

"Does that mean he's given up on finding Kain?" Her mother's voice was cool and indecipherable. Rosa sighed and gripped the mug a little harder than was necessary. If she hadn't been weakened from illness, she might have shattered it in her hands right then and there.

"Mother… _we_ have not given up on him. And we _never_ will. Kain is Cecil and I's best friend…"

"But it's been nearly a year, dear," Joanna sighed. "Surely, by now…" She slid the eggs onto a plate and placed it in front of Rosa, who had suddenly lost her appetite and blanched at the sight of the food. Joanna gave Rosa a look, and Rosa reluctantly picked up her fork and pierced it into the egg.

"I know it has been a year – and Cecil and I have done everything to try to find Kain and take him home," Rosa took a bite and grimaced. The food was tasteless to her now – she had to force herself to swallow it. "But...I think I've started to accept that Kain doesn't want to be found. If he did…he would be here, by Cecil's side, like he _promised_ him."

"Why would Kain not want to be found?" Joanna sat down across from Rosa, her arms crossed over her chest. "Kain has been very good to you, Rosa. Is this really OK? The Dragoons…they were his father's legacy, after all."

"I know that!" Rosa cried. "Do you think Cecil is taking this decision lightly? He _wanted_ Kain to lead the Dragoons – he _still_ does. But he's also trying to build Baron back up to what it used to be, and there gets to be a point where you have to start moving on…" Rosa let the fork clatter to the plate and looked down, resting her hand over her chest. She could feel her heart pulsing wildly, and her blood was rushing so fast that she was getting dizzy. "Kain and I have spent most of our lives together – and I know in my _heart_ that he is all right. I just…I have to trust that…or else…"

 _She makes me feel horrible for wanting to look toward the future…She doesn't understand why Kain left… And I don't want to get into it with her today, of all days…_

Joanna frowned. She hadn't meant for this to escalate into an argument – perhaps she had pushed a little too hard. She had finally gotten used to the idea that her daughter would no longer disappear for random stretches of time, getting herself into gods-knew-what with the Baronian army. She had (happily) become complacent with Rosa's steady presence, and had fallen into the old habit of trying to force her daughter's hand again – as if Rosa were still a child, finding her way in the world.

Rosa closed her eyes, took a long, deep breath, and pulled herself up higher in her chair, lifting her chin. When she opened her eyes, they were flooded with fiery determination, and suddenly, the pale, diminutive woman before Joanna had transformed back into the Queen of Baron who had faced certain death on a moon hundreds of thousands of miles away – and returned home triumphant.

"Rosa…I'm sorry," her mother shook her head. "I just…truly just want you to be happy. And I know Kain was a big part of your life…and Cecil's. I don't know everything you went through when you joined the war, but…"

"You _don't_ know everything," Rosa said firmly, but not unkindly. _And if we're being honest…you really know nothing_. "But…I am happy. Cecil…makes me _very_ happy. Being Queen…it's more of an impact I ever thought my little life would have on this world. That's why I can't afford to wallow in the past."

 _I keep telling myself that, at least…_

Joanna shook her head. "I apologize." She turned away, gazing out the window wistfully. "You reminded me so much of your father just now…it was like he was speaking through you from the grave. All he wanted to do was help people too. Sometimes…I have these dark thoughts…if we had known you were on the way…would I have let him go to battle that day? Would I have still followed him?" She sighed, and looked back to Rosa, her eyes tinged with redness. "But every time, I come to the same conclusion…he would have still gone…even if I had not. He loved Baron…and he would have wanted to fight for your place in this world. I tried to stamp that out of you, but…" She smiled a little. "…You just have too much of your father's spirit."

Rosa gave her a half-smile in return. It was the most she had heard Joanna talk about her father… _ever_. Regardless…she was tired of people like her mother and Kain assuming that they knew what was good for her, and then making decisions that hurt her instead.

Rosa drummed her finger on the table lightly. "Thank you for your concern. But what I need, more than anything, is your support…all right?" Rosa leaned in across the table, focusing onto her mother's eyes, and twisting her mouth. "I'm asking you this as your daughter…not your Queen. Please, _respect_ the decisions I've made, and the people I've invited into my life." Her rose gold, pink diamond wedding band sparkled in the bright sunlight pouring through the kitchen, projecting a rainbow glare into Joanna's eyes that made her squint. "And that includes the decisions of my husband. Who is also your _King_."

Joanna raised her eyebrows, and sat back, pursing her lips together. She would have been thoroughly impressed with her daughter's backbone if she also wasn't so rattled by it. She was beginning to understand – reluctantly – the _real_ reason why Cecil and Kain had been so drawn to her. Beguiling beauty had nothing to do with it. "You've made yourself crystal-clear, Rosa."

Rosa settled back in her chair, stabbed at the egg again, and took another bite.

 _Much better._

* * *

"The Dragoons are going to be mightier than ever!"

Vice-Captain Biggs, of the Red Wings, pulled off his helmet and mopped his brow with a towel that a cadet had tossed over to him before exiting the courtyard. He had just spent the last four hours sparring with what he felt were the best recruits he had ever seen since…well, since he was a recruit himself with Cecil Harvey and Kain Highwind. He had remembered as a youth being thoroughly impressed with his two fellow soldiers in training, and had admired them from afar for many years, trying to replicate them. He had been one of the few Red Wings to never leave Baron during the war – he had been working quietly behind the scenes with his younger cousin and fellow Red Wing, Wedge, to keep what little military order they could manage in place until Baron had found a new ruler. When Cecil had been crowned, he had immediately rewarded Biggs for his efforts by promoting him to Vice-Captain. Secretly, Biggs was hoping Cecil would change his mind about abandoning his post as Captain, because Biggs still had so much he wanted to learn from him, especially as a newly-minted officer. But Cecil had given up his title nearly immediately after his coronation, and nearly a year later, was no closer to naming a successor.

Biggs, Wedge, and all of the other "old guard" Red Wings and Dragoons were perplexed about Kain being MIA – but none of them were foolish enough to bring it up in front of Cecil. Rumors had run rampant that Kain had just up and disappeared one night – there was no evidence of foul play, or that he had not gone willingly. He had appeared healthier than ever since returning from the war, and had even been working on re-assembling the Dragoons himself. But then, just a few days before the coronation, he had vanished into thin air. Cecil, for his part, had never officially commented on it, but Biggs could tell in the aftermath of the coronation that Kain's disappearance had shaken the king to his core. They had, after all, spent nearly every day of their lives together up until that point. They had been known throughout the kingdom to be inseparable.

But Biggs could see none of that now – Cecil was cheerful and encouraging throughout the entire recruiting exercise today – even sparring a few of the most promising recruits himself and letting them catch a rare glimpse of the king's legendary crystal blade extracted from the moon's core, the _Ragnarok_. By the end of the day, all of the new soldiers had been put through the wringer and had to be practically picked up off the floor, but the air was alit with their energy and excitement for what was to come, even with the aggressive training timetable Cecil had laid out before them.

"There is more potential leadership in this group than I ever remember seeing in previous years," Cecil commented to Biggs as he rose from where he had been doing cool-down stretches on the grass. The recruits had cleared out, and it was just the two of them now, along with stretches of run-down, torn-up grass and random disposed weapons that the pages were going to come back and retrieve later.

Cecil reached back, pulling his wavy shoulder-length silver-white hair into his hands and twisting it away from his neck. Between the rapidly-escalating summer heat, not having dueled properly in months, and the heavy, ivory-colored pauldron draped over his azure and ivory leather breastplate, he was sweltering. He fetched his midnight-blue cape from where he had previously abandoned it on the makeshift throne that had been dragged outside for the day's events and used it to dry the back of his neck.

Despite being in the entirety of the afternoon sun, his skin had not taken on any color – his alabaster complexion was only tinted pink on the sides of his face from over-exertion. It was a disappointment to most women in the kingdom that their own king had seemingly been blessed with moonlit skin that they would never achieve even with all of the creams and potions in the world. His eyes, which were the same color as the Blue Planet's oceans, were so astonishing against his pale coloring that strangers found it intimidating to look him in the eyes upon their first encounter.

Cecil and Biggs crossed the courtyard in silence, each mentally ranking the recruits they had encountered today, when there came a song-like greeting. Rosa appeared before them in the threshold that led back into the castle halls.

"Your Majesty," Biggs swept down into a bow. Rosa smiled, and nodded her head.

"Good afternoon – well, I suppose it is actually good evening – Biggs. Are you done with Cecil for the day?"

"He's all yours," Biggs chuckled, "If you'll excuse me." He gently pushed past Rosa and went inside, trying not to blush. Queen Rosa seemed to grow more beautiful every day – he couldn't remember a time in his life that he had known her that she had not been crazy over Cecil, but a man could still have his fantasies.

Cecil draped his cape over his neck, not able to contain his smile when his eyes fell upon the love of his life. When he was sure Biggs was gone, he leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, whispering into her lips.

"Happy birthday."

Rosa gave a delicate moan of approval as she traced a finger over Cecil's bare, sinewy forearm and pulled away.

"Thank you…it was nice to have the whole day to myself."

Cecil grasped her shoulders, looking her up and down. "You look the best you have in days."

"Well, I had a nice long walk, ate a lot of good food…got in a fight with mother…"

"…What?" Cecil blinked, and Rosa laughed.

"Don't worry, things are all right – I think. I'll tell you all about it over dinner. Are we still on for our date?"

"As long as you're feeling up to it. I thought we could have a picnic on the overlook and watch the moonrise. It's supposed to be a full moon tonight, and the fireflies should be out."

"That sounds perfect," Rosa smiled. It was the spot they would go to observe the airships leave on their missions as teenagers, and where Rosa would watch Cecil depart when he started going on his own missions as a member of the Red Wings – It had always held a special significance for the two of them. The beauty of the scenery was unmatched when the Blue Planet had the twin moons, but even with just the one moon now, it was still a spectacular view – the best in the entire kingdom.

A few hours later, the food and cutlery had been pushed aside, and they were both laying back on the blanket Rosa had brought up from their bedchamber, watching the fireflies drift lazily above them, their abdomens flashing green and yellow in random pulses. Cecil had his hands folded behind his head as a pillow, and Rosa was resting her head on his chest and lying perpendicular to Cecil's form, her hands folded under her chest. With the exception of a few chattering insects, it was silent – any activity in the keep below that would have drifted up to them was silenced for the night, the shipwrights and soldiers having tucked in for the night or retreating to their evening posts.

"I'm sorry that your mother made you answer for a decision I made," Cecil finally said. When Rosa had told him about their fight, he had become livid and couldn't say anything of consequence, lest he let something slip that he would later regret. He always walked a fine line when it came to his mother-in-law – she had never really approved of him, and she and Rosa had always been getting in spectacular rows about Rosa wanted to do with her life before she became queen. But he knew Rosa loved Joanna, and that she was all Rosa had in terms of blood relations, so he respected their relationship and tried not to disparage her too much in front of Rosa.

"It's all right…I suppose that comes with being a queen," Rosa said softly, trying not to stir too much as a firefly drifted right above the tip of her nose, flashing its light. "I don't think she understands how lousy her timing was to pick a fight. She doesn't realize that in a week, it will be the anniversary of when the war had really started – for you and me."

Cecil blew at a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes. It had been on his mind too – he had remembered that morning that it was only a few days after Rosa's nineteenth birthday that the impostor king who had murdered the real King Baron in secret had ordered Cecil and the Red Wings to steal the Crystal of Water from Mysidia; and with that he would commit his first atrocity in Baron's name. At this time, last year, he would have still been somewhat innocent – the blood of the slain Mysidians would not yet stain his hands, and the screams of the villagers murdered in the Mist fire that he and Kain had unknowingly unleashed upon them would not yet be imprinted in his very soul, or what had been left of it at the time.

For Rosa's nineteenth birthday, he, Rosa and Kain had stayed up all night, wrecking havoc in the castle with their made-up challenges for each other fueled by the seemingly endless spirits Kain had managed to procure from the royal stores. They had finally ran out of energy on the very overlook they were on now, falling asleep to the sound of the Red Wings' rotors tearing through the air as the ships prepared for their leave at dawn. Kain had passed out against an ivory-covered column, his long, tangled blonde hair a mess thrown back in a sloppy ponytail. Rosa had fallen asleep at his feet, her cheeks stained pink and a sweet smile on her lips. Cecil remembered watching the way the breath made her chest rise and fall like an ocean's waves, feeling the resistance he had tried to build against falling in love with her ebbing away with each sigh that emitted from her lips.

He had always loved her; Since the day he had first laid eyes on her as children, and he thought perhaps she had felt the same about loving him – a quiet and delicate devotion had been blossoming between them for years, and he was ready to take it to the next level, had it not been for his increasingly dangerous missions as the newly-christened Dark Knight of Baron. He feared that the darkness slowly closing itself around his heart would infect her too, drawing her into danger from which she would never escape, save for the release brought from of either of their deaths. More difficult than any battle or trial he had faced in his life thus far was justifying his love for her when he thought it could only end painfully.

But then a week later, he would be sent to Mysidia, and the decision would be made for him – Rosa would be captured by Golbez with Kain's aid, and Cecil would come to realize he couldn't live in a world without her. But getting Rosa back had meant losing Kain – he had confessed to Cecil that even under Golbez's control, he had been motivated in cooperating by keeping Rosa by his side. It was only after Kain had disappeared when they had returned home from the moon that Cecil realized how deep Kain's love for Rosa – or his hatred for him– might have truly been.

The three of them had never been able to properly work through everything that had happened – and now it was too late. Two of the three souls had been left adrift, and Kain's absence had cast a pall over their happiness, even if neither Cecil nor Rosa wanted to directly admit it to each other.

"Despite what your mother thinks, I think Kain would be happy that the Dragoons are rising once more," Cecil offered. "And the moment he comes home…he can take his rightful place again. I would never take his family's legacy away from him."

"Cecil…" Rosa closed her eyes, her fingers clenching tighter against each other, as if she were releasing a prayer into the universe. She felt her stomach roll as the words fell from her lips. "…What if Kain never wants to come home? When does our mourning end?" _When will this veil of darkness lift from my eyes?_

Cecil clenched his jaw. It was too painful to talk about Kain with Rosa – he hated to be reminded that _he_ was reason Kain had left and that he had been the one to spur this unhappiness – and it hadn't been something he could rectify – he couldn't change what it was about himself that made Kain detest him so, or change his feelings about Rosa.

Was it really so selfish of him to want his best friend _and_ his wife by his side? For most of his life, they had been all he ever had.

He struggled with how to reply to her question, choosing to berate himself in silence instead. Rosa tilted her head, catching a glimpse at his grimace.

"Cecil…"

"I'm sorry. It's not fair that you have to suffer on my behalf." Cecil looked away, closing his eyes. "You think it's foolish that I want him back, don't you? After all he has put us through?"

 _"Cecil!"_ Rosa drew a sharp breath. "You don't think I could possibly blame you for wanting our friend back, do you? When we got home…it felt like the world was ours for the taking, and that we could finally grasp at some of our own happiness. And now, I'm just worried we are holding our breath for something that may never happen. We've expended so much effort to find him, but it has amounted to naught…"

Cecil couldn't bring himself to say anymore, and the painfully awkward minutes ticked by. When he opened his eyes and turned to shift his body, he saw that Rosa had fallen asleep. Despite recovering from illness, to Cecil, she looked exactly the same as she had one year prior when he had watched her fall asleep in this very same place, right before everything in their lives had gone to hell. He knew on the inside, however, she had to have been as twisted with scar tissue as he was – why couldn't he bring himself to tell her that her question had stirred an unsettling fear in his heart?

 _Kain has never not been part of our lives…what does it mean for us if he never comes home? Even if you don't blame me now…I fear the day will come when you will. And all I will be able to do is accept it…_

* * *

 _"I've found it…"_

Cecil opened his eyes at the sound of the unfamiliar, androgynous voice reverberating in the far distance. He was surrounded in complete and total darkness – he couldn't even make out the sight of his hands in front of his face.

 _"A new form…"_

The voice spoke again. Cecil took a hesitant step forward, and a glowing sphere of jade light appeared before him, floating delicately just out of reach. The color reminded him of something…or someone…it held such an ethereal glow…but his mind was drawing a blank. A brilliant flash of green…like a dragoon's armor, or precious gem stones…

"Who's there?" Cecil asked, his voice met with an echo.

 _Who's there? Who's there? Who's there…?_

The sphere pulsed as the mysterious voice replied, sounding much closer this time – it was practically hissing in Cecil's ear.

"You cannot comprehend my existence, but still I will tell you. I am…"

" _Cecil_ …"

Cecil frowned, shaking his head. "What?"

Light began to shine upon Cecil and the sphere from above, banishing the darkness around them. The jade light faded away, and before Cecil could make out his surroundings, a new voice whispered in his ear.

 _"Wake up, Cecil! It's time."_

* * *

Cecil's eyes snapped open, and he found himself bathed in sunlight, in his own bed again.

 _What…what the hell was that?_

Rosa was kneeling beside him on the bed. She was dressed in her old traveling garments, a white and pink bustier leotard with a transparent gold and pink cloak flowing down her shoulders, an ivory sash tied around her waist to carry provisions, and pink and white knee-high boots. Her wrists and forearms were wrapped in pink bracers, and her hair was swept up into a ponytail, the only hint of her royalty the small diamond tiara she had tucked in her hair.

"Are you all right?" Rosa tilted her head. "You were flailing about like you were having a terrible nightmare…"

Cecil sat up, pushing the blankets away from his bare chest and torso, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly hot. It had been so long since he had any kind of dreams like that, that he had nearly forgotten how draining they were. He had fallen into a dead sleep after he had carried Rosa back to their room the night before, but he felt like he had gotten only an hour's worth of rest.

But the dream was already fading from his mind – so maybe it couldn't have been that important.

"Mmmm…it was nothing," Cecil said, shaking his head.

Rosa was looking at him with such grave concern – he wondered if she realized he had never answered her last night and if she thought he was intentionally avoiding her now. She pushed herself up off the bed, and Cecil attempted to crack a smile, but she still didn't look like she was buying it.

 _Doesn't Cecil realize that I know by now when he's trying to hide something from me?_ Rosa thought impatiently.

"Well…" She crossed her arms over her chest. Cecil hadn't had a dream that intense since they had returned home from the moon – perhaps something in their conversation last night had triggered it. She had woken up with a twinge of regret that morning – she didn't remember being taken to bed, but she remembered how heavy her heart had felt before drifting off. It had been something Cecil had said – or rather, what he _didn't_ say.

As for Rosa, her dreams had been foggy, indecipherable – the only detail she could remember was the sound of a heartbeat resonating in the distance – subtle and weak – perhaps her own. Waking up had felt like someone splashed water on her face and washed any trace of the dream away.

"…Today is the ceremony to celebrate the reconstruction of Damcyan…so we really should be going soon. The Red Wings are ready and waiting."

"Of course!" Cecil said, grateful for the change of subject. He swung his legs out of bed and jumped up, kissing Rosa on the cheek. She looked better than she had last night, at least – and if she was up before him, that too was a promising sign. "Why don't you meet me in the ship, and I'll be down soon? You shouldn't be on your feet so much yet – but I'm glad you're feeling well enough to join me. It wouldn't be the same for us to celebrate without you."

Rosa relented just a little, but kissed him back. _Cecil might be nervous about today…it will be his first time back in Damcyan since the Red Wings destroyed the kingdom, after all. I'm sure this is a day of both excitement and closure for him._

"…I'll see you outside." She strode out of the bedroom, reaching out to grab her crossbow and arrows and pausing to look back at him briefly before closing the door behind her.

As Cecil got dressed, he caught a glimpse of the moon through the window, which was still visible even in the early morning sky. He thought about how today would be the first official day of training for the new class of Dragoons – he was sad to miss it, but he still didn't think his presence would be missed nearly as much as Kain's. He could tell by the confusion of the newer recruits yesterday that they had expected the rumors about Kain to not be true, and that the war hero son of legendary Dragoon Richard Highwind would be there to drill them into glory.

 _Kain…are you somewhere that you can see the moon as well?_ Cecil thought to himself as he fastened his traveling cloak. _I still think that when word spreads to the corners of the globe that the Dragoons are back, you will finally return to us. And then we can really talk about everything – and put the past to rest once and for all._

Even with all that had changed in the past year, everything in Baron still reminded Cecil of Kain – his presence still haunted the castle and village as if he had never left.

Every morning that Cecil crossed the threshold into the throne room, he thought about how the last time he and Kain had been in there together was when the imposter King Baron had stripped Cecil of his title of Captain of the Red Wings, and Kain had come bursting inside – telling off the fake King and the Captain of the Guard, Baigan, before getting both himself and Cecil thrown out on their rears. Whenever he crossed the courtyards that led to the castle gates, he saw his adolescent self and Kain play-fighting in the grass, sometimes to impress Rosa, who would spy on them from the walkways above during archery practice, and sometimes to remind each other that deep in the substratum of their friendship, an intense rivalry still burned. Every week that Cecil would take meetings in town to meet with villagers who couldn't travel to the castle, he passed by the pub inside the Baron Inn in which he and Kain would drink themselves to oblivion after successful missions (well, mostly Kain, as Cecil could never really handle his alcohol, and was now sorely out of practice with Kain gone), marveling about how much better life could possibly get for two of Baron's best soldiers who had already achieved most of their dreams at such a young age.

As Cecil approached the two airships docked several yards away, the wind from their respective propellers whipped his hair back from his face, and he could hear the leaves of the trees around him rustling among the chirps of the cicadas that had woken from their seventeen-year slumber cycle. The last time Cecil had heard a cicada's cry, he had been but a small child, and hadn't even met Kain yet. It wouldn't be until a few years later that Kain's father would die from a mysterious illness that would bring Kain to the castle full-time as one of King Baron's other "sons". He wondered if they were destined to never hear one of the hallmarks of a Baronian summer together.

 _Kain…Rosa and I still need you. Please, forgive us…and come home._

"Cecil! You're late!"

A booming voice shook Cecil out of his reverie, and he saw Baron Chief Engineer Cid Pollendina waving at him from the first ship, which belonged to the Red Wings. Cecil jogged over, and he looked up – he could see Biggs at the steering wheel, and Wedge at the helm, but Rosa was nowhere to be seen. _She must have already gone to the hold below to escape the heat_ , Cecil thought.

"Rosa is inside," Cid said, reminding Cecil that he could still read his facial cues like a book. Cecil laughed a little and sheepishly crossed his arms. He thought if he had a bushy red beard like Cid's and goggles to cover half his face, his features wouldn't betray his emotions nearly as often.

"Sorry I'm late – weird dream."

"We've been ready and raring to go for ages!" Cid chastised, but he said it with an underlying kindness. No matter what Cecil did – or didn't do – Cid still thought of him as the son he never had. He loved his daughter Amelia, – immensely – but being a workaholic and a mourning widower at a young age, Cid had spent most of his adult life in the shipyards of Baron's castle, and as a result had grown very close to Cecil, Kain and Rosa. When Cid had returned home to Baron after recovering from grievous injuries he had sustained in the Underworld during the war, he had realized Amelia had the patience of a saint to deal with a flighty bastard like himself, and had vowed to cut down his hours at the castle and spend more time with her. She was only a few years older than Cecil, after all, and still needed her daddy. At least, that was what he had thought until she announced she had found a suitor while vacationing in Kaipo and started ditching Cid for him. Now Amelia was the one who was hardly home, and Cid was the one moping around, begging Cecil for more work – but even with Baron's explosive growth in the past year, Cecil couldn't keep up with Cid's demands for activity.

"Are you riding separately?" Cecil asked, pointing to the other ship.

"Yeah, I'm gonna follow behind in the _Enterprise_ after I pick up the twins and the Elder from Mysidia, so you go on ahead to Damcyan. You got that?"

"Aye-aye," Cecil saluted Cid, and walked up the ramp that had been extended for him to board the ship. Cid gave a wave and started walking over to the Enterprise, where a skeleton crew was awaiting his orders. Cecil assumed that Cid would pilot himself, as per usual.

"Welcome aboard, Sir!" Wedge exclaimed. He was several years younger than his cousin Biggs, and had technically been just a cadet when the war had started last year. His first mission had been with Cecil to steal the Water Crystal from Mysidia, and despite the tumultuous turn life as a Red Wing had taken shortly after, he had remained fiercely loyal to Baron, which Cecil made sure to thank him for as much as possible. Wedge was still green, but loyal – there were few men that Cecil would trust to shepherd his family across the world in an airship. Cecil slapped his hand on Wedge's back appreciatively, and Wedge tried not to smile through the serious look on his face he was trying to portray.

"W-what do you think of your Red Wings, sir?" Wedge asked, his voice nearly cracking. "We've tried to keep standards up since we lost you as Captain…"

"I think everything looks great," Cecil said kindly, and Biggs walked over, wondering if his cousin needed rescued before he launched himself off the ship in pure joy.

"Are you ready to depart, Your Highness?" Biggs asked, and Wedge took the reprieve to compose himself, scampering over to a sail to make adjustments. Next to them, the Enterprise was rising in the air, and positioning itself southeast.

"Let's go," Cecil said. "We haven't seen our friends together in one place since the wedding…I've been looking forward to this." Biggs nodded and took the wheel, calling out some instructions for Wedge and the rest of the crew. The ship began to rise from the ground, and Cecil descended into the hold to look for Rosa. He found her in a small room that acted as an overflow berthing area for when soldiers would need to sleep on the ships during missions. She was curled up on a bottom bunk against a wall, using her rolled-up cloak as a pillow, and fast asleep.

Cecil sat down beside her, pushing some hair that had come loose from her ponytail off of her face and mouth. As he did so, he thought he felt a flush on her cheek, and rested his palm against her skin. It was slightly warmer than normal, but nothing he thought should warrant serious concern. She stirred gently under his touch, but didn't wake up.

There was a slight smile in the curve of her lips. Cecil hoped she was having a beautiful dream.

* * *

The Feymarch was buzzing with activity that morning. Queen Asura was due to arrive home from her annual survey of the phantom plane beyond the borders of their little town, and the eidolons were in a tizzy to make sure everything looked perfect for her upon her return. It was rare that Asura ever left her luxurious post in the library's basement, which was filled with opulence and treasures from ancient times before there were even summoners to call upon eidolons. Their queen was one that was known for appreciating objects, eidolons and humans of great beauty. So, her subjects always took the time she was away as an opportunity to beautify the Feymarch and polish it to perfection like the jewel it was, so that when Asura returned, she was in a pleasant mood. One of Asura's good moods could last for months – benefiting all of her subjects greatly.

As could one of her more…violent moods – along with the opposite effect.

It was hard having a queen that was ravishing but also housed multiple personalities.

And buried deep beneath the same Feymarch library in which Asura resided, a seventeen year-old human girl – the only one in the entirety of the Feymarch – was whipping up a storm of her own in the private bedchamber she had been granted by the King and Queen.

"Where is it?" Rydia sighed, tossing aside her bedding and pillows for the fifth time. "I swear I only just had it last night!"

Her emerald green shoulder-length hair, the fringe of which she had been trying to grow out for the past few months, was falling in her face as she searched, which just frustrated her more. She fruitlessly tucked it back behind her ears, but it sprung back forward in her eyes only moments later, still too short to stay hidden away for long. She let out a huff, giving her pillow a punch for good measure and stomping one of her thigh-high boots into the floor.

She wore a luxurious green silk tunic that reached mid-thigh, with delicate shoulder straps that showed off the youthful curve of her collar bone and toned shoulders that were attained from hours of slaying monsters with her whip that dared to threaten the security of their little sanctuary. From her arms, two billowing silk hanging sleeves draped down to her wrists and hung just above the floor, each secured with a golden-threaded ribbon. A light green and gold summer cape concealed the exposed curve of her back from the tunic, and the golden sash tied around her waist housed all of a girl's most-needed accessories for going out: Ethers, Phoenix Downs, and a whip.

 _I give up_ , Rydia thought, and reluctantly used the teleporter in her room to warp upstairs. She was greeted by King Leviathan, a sea serpent who was still infatuated with his "elderly man" human shape he had taken on, and was playing the part perfectly by lounging back in his throne with some glasses sliding down his nose, reading a book he had retrieved from the library upstairs. He closed the book shut, and stood up.

"Rydia dear, what's the matter?" Leviathan asked. "I thought you were dueling with the All-Father himself down there."

"I can't find my favorite hairpin," Rydia pouted. "You know – the hyacinth one you and the Queen gave me when I first arrived here?" She wondered to herself if this was something an eight-year old, which was her chronological age, would be whining about, or if it was still an appropriate type of fit for a seventeen year-old, which was her physical and mental age thanks to the Feymarch's bizarre time flow that had rapidly aged her upon her first visit a year ago (a year ago in _human_ years, mind you). To keep things simple, she only referred to herself by her body and mind's age. But when she had celebrated her birthday a few months prior, she discreetly drew an "8" in the frosting of the cake that had been presented to her by her eidolon friends, celebrating the new year to come – but also quietly mourning another year of childhood lost to the aether.

She decided that either way, being a normal tween _or_ a teenage girl was rough – she hadn't quite known what to expect when she had returned from the war – but adjusting to her new civilian life had been jarring. Going from worrying about being slaughtered by elemental archfiends to worrying about hair accessories still felt surreal.

"I'm sure it will turn up," Leviathan said. _It's like living with a miniature Asura when she loses one of her baubles._ "But more importantly – there was something I wanted to tell you before you departed to visit your friends on the surface."

"Huh?" Rydia blinked, the hairpin forgotten. It was actually very rare that Leviathan spoke directly to her – or to anyone, for that matter. It was law in the Feymarch that anyone who wanted to speak with the King had to speak with Queen Asura first. As a result, Leviathan had gotten quite comfortable keeping to himself and rarely started any conversations on his own.

"I had a dream last night," Leviathan frowned. "A dream where… _something_ , was coming. It was familiar, but I couldn't understand what I was looking at. I fear that trouble stirs in the human world again..."

Rydia paused. With Leviathan, it probably wasn't so much a dream and more like a premonition – he and other eidolons were the very essence of magic themselves, and held incredible sensatory abilities. The only other race that she had encountered that even had a fracture of their psychic prowess were the Lunarians of the moon, of which her dear friend Cecil was a half-blood.

"I'll be sure to talk to Cecil about it when I reach Damcyan," Rydia said. "He would have surely sensed something like that as well."

"Very good, dear," Leviathan nodded. "Safe travels – and if that rapscallion Edge is there…"

"Hmm?" Rydia tilted her head. Leviathan turned red and shook his head, collapsing back onto his throne.

"…Just don't let him lay a hand on you! You're like my daughter, you know…so I think I have to say things like that…"

"Oh jeeze," Rydia turned red along with him, feeling like flames were crawling up the sides of her face. "It's not like that with Ed- er, I mean King Edge. He's totally ignored me since I saw him at the wedding last year. I'm quite positive that ruling Eblan has become his primary occupation in life. He may have even given up pursuing women entirely."

"Well, I…doubt that," Leviathan said, and cracked his book back open, muttering to himself, "He's still a man…"

Rydia warped to the entry-level of the library before the conversation could go any further. She had instantly made the call that seventeen was still way too young to have _the talk_ with your elderly eidolon guardians.

The library itself was brighter and cleaner than she thought she had ever seen it in her life – all of the dust had been cleared away from the hundreds of volumes of ancient books, the polished oak checkout counters and standing desks were glistening, and the antique tiles that clicked underneath her boots were so shiny that Rydia could see her reflection in them.

As she was walking out through the front door into the heart of the village, she nearly tripped over a large, feathery posterior that was bobbing up and down and blocking the stairwell. Rydia caught herself on the railing just before she tumbled down the stairs, and a loud "Whark!" greeted her.

"Rydia!" the owner of the backside exclaimed, turning around to face her. The massive bird – an overgrown chocobo – had a rag in his beak, and he had been polishing the windows outside of the library. He dropped it on the ground, and hopped in the air, shaking his feathers and fluttering his wings a bit. "Are you OK?"

"Never been better!" Rydia lied, giving the ankle that had supported most of her weight in her stumble a discreet roll to make sure nothing was sprained. "Are you _still_ cleaning?" Even she had to admit that seeing the fearless bird she would summon to protect her as a child washing windows was a little weird – and she had seen a lot of odd stuff in the past year while living in a town full of talking monsters.

"No point in stopping until Her Majesty comes home!" Chocobo chirped, and then paused. "Actually…there was something I was meaning to tell you."

"You too…?" Rydia trailed off. First Leviathan, now Chocobo?

"Yeah…but…I can't exactly remember what it was," Chocobo laughed, and Rydia pressed her lips together. "It happened a few months ago."

"Chocobo!" Rydia sighed, shaking her head. He had always been kind of a flake – even when she summoned him in battle. "I guess it couldn't have been that important."

"I think it was someone who was looking for you," Chocobo blinked, and shook his head. "But they probably found you by now, right? They were quick on their feet, I remember that."

"I would think so," Rydia bent down, picking up the rag. "Here…"

Chocobo plucked the rag from her hand, and waved one of his wings before turning back to the window. Rydia crossed the wooden planks that made up the village streets, and began making her way to the northernmost levels of the village that would take her to the caverns that led back into the Underworld. The Feymarch was buried deep beneath the Underworld, and the town itself was built over a pool of magma that poured down the rocky canyons that enveloped them. It was impossible for anyone in the Underworld to reach the caverns of the Feymarch without an airship, and even if they breached the island the cavern was situated upon, the cavern itself was flooded in lava that made it impossible to cross without the intervention of magic.

With the exception of Rydia and her friends, humans were forbidden to enter the Feymarch. But with all of the dangerous traps in place, it would have taken a fool to want to make the attempt anyway.

"Hi Rydia!"

"Rydia, you're coming back, right?"

"Hey Rydia, come play with us!"

As she climbed up the stairs, she was greeted by nearly every eidolon she passed. It was an understatement that Rydia was well-loved in the Feymarch, and didn't have a single critic in regard to her being human and an outsider. At first, she had been embarrassed and in disbelief at the outward , extremely forward affection that was paid to her, but slowly and surely, she got used to what it meant to live in a peaceful realm that had been never been tainted by the wars of men. She realized that in this little corner of the world where hatred had no place, there was room for nothing _but_ love. Rydia told herself that as long as she lived in the Feymarch, never again would she have to fear waking up to her home burning down around her, or helplessly watch the senseless slaughter of innocents. If anything – or anyone – ever did threaten her new home, she knew now she was strong enough to drive it back – and become her own peacekeeper.

She did sometimes feel a _little_ lonely – her only human friends prior to meeting Cecil had all died in the Mist catastrophe, and she couldn't exactly be her authentic self around the eidolons like she could have been with Cecil, Rosa, or even Edge. Although the eidolons were accepting of her humanity, it didn't mean they still entirely understood it. But she tried to squelch those feelings and push them deep, deep down – after all, what would life be like for her if she were back on the surface world, anyway? Cecil and Rosa were busy being the golden couple of Baron, Edge was probably at least being a half-way decent king to his own people, and the others had their own lives too – Yang was now King of Fabul, Edward King of Damcyan, and Kain had disappeared off the face of the planet. Even Dwarven Princess Luca, whom she saw the most often since she too was a denizen of the Underworld, was starting to take on more royal responsibilities and was becoming more and more interested in stealing away to the surface world to tinker with machinery. Where would Rydia have really fit in if she had remained on the surface?

 _That's why I'm all right if I only see the others once in a while,_ Rydia thought with a twinge of sadness. _When we got back from the moon, everyone had someone or something to come back home to…except me. In all this time that has passed, I still can't even bring myself to go back to Mist…or at least what remains of it…_

"Are you going somewhere, dear?"

Rydia was shaken out of her self-pity and looked up. Standing before her, blocking the exit to the Feymarch caverns, was Queen Asura herself, flanked by three hulking Imp bodyguards wrapped in cloaks as dark as the night. It was amusing that Asura even bothered with them – _she_ would be the one protecting _them_ if anyone had been foolhardy enough to challenge Asura to a fight.

"Welcome home, Your Highness," Rydia said. "Today is the celebration of Damcyan's reconstruction, so I was going to make my way to the surface world for a bit to join my friends in the festivities."

Asura tilted her head, her painted red lips pursed together slightly and her eyes clouded. She thought about the report one of her men had just given her about higher than usual activity at the Sealed Cave as they made their way back to the Feymarch, and wondered if her little Rydia or her friends knew anything about it.

"…Perhaps it would be best for you to return to that world permanently, Rydia. Perhaps that is where you truly belong…"

"Queen Asura! Please don't say that…" Rydia clenched her fist, safely hidden behind her back. _Had Asura been able to sense the doubts in her heart just now? Where was this coming from?_ "The Feymarch is every bit as much my home as the human world!"

Asura raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, and reluctantly nodded.

"Hearing you say that puts my heart at ease. Then go Rydia, and return to us _safely_."

Rydia inwardly sighed in relief. If the Queen had been serious… _oh, she didn't want to think about that_.

"I will! I'll be back before you know it!" Rydia threw her arms around Asura, and Asura stroked the young woman's hair with one hand, reaching down in her robes with the other to pull out an oversized ruby hyacinth hairpin and sliding it into Rydia's hair. She muttered a Float spell, and Rydia was lifted a few inches from the floor. Rydia pulled back and looked up at Asura, gasping as she touched the hairpin.

"You found it!"

"It was near the entrance of the town – did you drop it while hunting again? And the spell is so you don't get burned on the lava, my darling," Asura smiled. "I'm sure Bahamut will take you the rest of the way once you reach the underworld."

"Thank you!" Rydia cried, and reached up, checking that the pin was secure one more time before racing through the gateway of the village entrance and disappearing into the darkness of the caverns ahead, her footsteps weightless as she dashed through the air like a Sylph. Asura turned to watch her go, pressing her fingers to her lips.

 _I suppose even our Rydia is not impervious to the spell of denial…such is the folly of human hearts, I suppose._


	2. Dream Two: Little Bear

Dream Two: Little Bear

"We'll be arriving in Damcyan soon!" Wedge announced. His voice was muffled, but it had still carried down to the hold.

Cecil shook Rosa awake, and she opened her eyes, forgetting for a moment where she was. When her gaze focused, she looked up at him.

"Cecil…you've been here this whole time?"

"Of course," Cecil replied. "Did you dream about anything? You were smiling in your sleep."

Rosa paused, and then shook her head, smiling a little. "I can't remember…but I think it was happy." The tension between them from earlier that morning had begun to melt a little, much to Cecil's relief.

The pair returned to the main deck, and could hear the rotors of another airship approaching them from the rear. Rosa shielded her eyes from the intense desert sun, and laughed.

"Oh! It's the Enterprise!"

"Cid never fails to amaze," Cecil shook his head. "He's already managed to catch up to us."

Biggs had spotted Cid as well, and started barking orders to the crew.

"Full speed ahead, you slackers!"

"Vice-Captain Sir, there's no need to make it a race…!" Wedge protested, but Biggs just screamed the order again louder. Cecil and Rosa hid their mouths behind their hands, laughing. Even they knew it was foolish to try to out-fly Cid. This would be a losing battle.

Sure enough, the Enterprise suddenly pulled ahead, and Cid gave a wave from the steering wheel. Palom and Porom, the precocious (and now somewhat famous) twin mages of Mysidia, and the Elder in charge of their care that everyone just affectionately called "Elder" were waving to Cecil and Rosa. They waved back, and when Palom jumped up and blew a kiss to Rosa, she reached out and pretended to catch it. Palom swooned, falling backwards onto the deck of the Enterprise.

"Wouldn't it be fun to have them running around the castle?" Rosa asked, and Cecil blanched. Porom, maybe he could handle, but Palom was a living, breathing, walking disaster of a child. Rosa had never really gotten to know the twins as well as he did, so she had yet to be exposed to the true terror Palom could inflict on an adult.

The six-year olds were the living definition of magical prodigies, having mastered more magic at their young ages than most adult mages did in a lifetime. They had also both survived a pilgrimage to Mount Ordeals, a holy sanctuary that had never let a soul return alive prior to their trip there with Cecil. At a young age, their hapless, not-so-magically inclined parents had recognized their gifts, but had not the means to nurture them, placing them in the care of the Mysidian Elder and quietly exiting from the twins' lives. Porom was a bright, curious girl, who was remarkably mature for her age and unfortunately had become the default wrangler of her brother's outrageous impulses and cries for attention. She was a student of white magic, and was sure to become one of the most powerful white mages in the world if she kept up her rigorous studies. Palom was the reflection in Porom's looking glass – terribly brilliant, but more likely to use that brilliance for pranks and inciting chaos. He was rude, a shameless flirt, and had no respect for protocol. As the Elder had declared too many times for everyone's comfort, Palom would surely be the one to put him into his grave. He was a world-class Black Mage, but his real dream was to be a Sage, like his hero, the late Tellah. Unfortunately, he sorely lacked the discipline to go along with his ambitions.

Physically, the twins had not changed much since Cecil last saw them – they were still only knee-high and dressed identically in their striped rompers, their chestnut brown hair pulled into ponytails. The easiest way to tell them apart, other than the constant smirk on Palom's face, was that Porom wore her ponytail loose, and Palom always had his tied into a braid. Otherwise, their cherub-like faces, still round with baby fat, betrayed no identifying features between the two of them. Their brown eyes were round saucers framed with delicately curled eyelashes that made grown women envious, their complexions tan from playing in the sun every day, and their smiles wide.

The Elder too, had not changed a bit. He still wore his beard long and gray, and kept his low ponytail slung over the shoulder of his midnight-black robes. Despite the Elder's insistence that the twins drained the life out of him, Cecil was sure that they really brought a youthful energy to his life that he would have else never experienced, and that he would actually miss them when they finally struck out on their own. More often than not, the Elder held a secret smile on his lips when he was with them, and today was no exception.

Both ships began to make their descent, making the sands of the Damcyan desert below whip into the air into self-contained sandstorms. Cecil and Rosa raised their forearms to their heads as the sand blew in, and the Red Wings pulled down the visors on their helmets.

A few moments later, they had landed safely, mere yards away from the resurrected Damcyan Castle. As the crew began to draw in the sails and rev down the engines, Cecil stared in awe at the structure before him. The last time he had been in Damcyan, the castle had been razed to the ground, some of the fires from the Red Wings' bombing not even yet burned out by the time Cecil, Rydia and Tellah had arrived, just moments away from being obliterated themselves. But now it rose triumphantly in the sky, rows of towers outfitted in the Damcyan standard and hundreds of desert blooms bursting from every conceivable surface and alcove. Even from the airship, they could hear laughter and music from figures on the tower balconies and within the courtyards.

Wedge released the ramp, and both he and Biggs gave Cecil a salute.

"We shall await you here, Sir!" Biggs said. Cecil nodded.

"I'll be counting on you to keep watch, Biggs."

"Please express our well wishes to King Edward and the rest of the Damcyans," Wedge added.

"We will!" Rosa smiled.

They exited the ship, and met up with Cid, Palom, Prom and the Elder at the entrance to the castle. The massive wooden doors were thrown wide-open, and two guards were posted at the entrance.

"Come on in!" one of the guards said. "Miss Harley will meet you in the Great Hall."

"Please enjoy yourselves," the other guard added. "This day is as much for you as it is for His Highness."

"Everyone is so friendly!" Porom exclaimed, her cheeks turning pink with excitement.

They crossed the threshold into the first courtyard, which was filled with citizens and soldiers milling about. Some were sitting around a band of musicians that were playing on harps, lutes and clarinets, others were dancing by themselves or with children that had come wandering in, and many were clustered in small groups, talking and sipping prickly pear wine from tall crystal glasses. Many of them recognized Cecil and Rosa, and would give a bow or curtsey as they passed through. Cecil would nod to each of them, and Rosa would raise her hand demurely, blushing from the attention. Porom had to keep hold of Palom's hand to keep him from darting off after all the beautiful women.

In the Great Hall, there were yet more people drinking, laughing and talking, but a lone figure stood in the center of all the activity, glancing at a massive notebook in one hand and speaking into a hand-held radio with the other. Her navy blue hair was swept up into a severe bun, which was tucked under the petite black graduate cap perched at the top of her head. She slipped the radio into the pocket of a black overcoat that flared over her hips like a gown, and used her now-free hand to push up the black-rimmed rectangular glasses that were slipping down her delicate nose. When she looked up at Cecil, her dark blue eyes immediately lit with recognizance, and she marched over, her black boots clicking across the silver granite floors.

"King Cecil?" She asked. Her voice was low and no-nonsense, but had a hint of a clipped aristocratic accent. "I'm Harley, the secretary-in-training to King Edward."

"Secretary-in-training?" Palom giggled. "So, not good enough to be the real deal, huh?"

"Palom!" Porom gasped, and Harley leaned down, smiling with her mouth but giving Palom an ice cold stare-down with her eyes.

"I am one to take titles seriously, lest I overinflate the importance of my role here in Damcyan and insult His Highness, whom I deeply respect for giving me this opportunity to serve. However, I can assure you that as someone who has only been in this position for less than a year and yet made everything you see before you happen with my own blood, sweat and many a tear, the "in-training" part is merely a formality. And as your elder, I still command your respect, no matter how many fancy magic tricks you can do, _Lord_ Palom." She then lifted her notebook, and smacked him in the side of his head with a loud " _WHAP"._

"HEY!" Palom cried, and Porom huffed.

"Serves you right, you interminable brat!" Porom turned to Harley, and bowed. "I'm sorry…I'm…"

"…Lady Porom, his twin sister," Harley nodded, and waved her notebook. "I have prepared dossiers about all of you, of course. I wanted to make sure I was completely up-to-date on King Edward's precious friends and their accomplishments. I'm so excited to make your acquaintance."

Her tone hadn't changed the entire time she spoke – if this was Harley excited, the group couldn't imagine what she was like when she was in a more docile mood. Edward had managed to hire someone who was his exact opposite in every way – from her stoic way of speaking, the confident way in which she carried herself, and her willingness to dress someone down in no time flat, as seen with Palom. She was an interesting choice of assistants for Edward, to say the least.

"And Harley, where do you originally hail from?" Rosa asked. Harley blushed and shook her head.

"Oh, I'm but a humble recent graduate from Troia's university for the sciences…I thank you for inquiring, Queen Rosa, but today isn't about me. It's about all of you, and His Highness. I'll be in the background for the rest of the day. But His Highness will be ready in…" she glanced at her watch, "…Exactly ten minutes and fifty-one seconds, so we do have time for a quick tour of the new castle, if you would like."

"That would be wonderful," the Elder said, and Palom pouted, still rubbing his smarting head.

"Very good then, please follow me," Harley turned, and waved her notebook in the air, talking over her shoulder as they walked. "We are currently in the Great Hall, which is the epicenter of the new castle…it's been rebuilt using nearly eighty percent of the original components from the old castle, all recovered from the sands of Damcyan by untiring citizens and concerned volunteers. And as you might have already known, for the new castle, King Edward was inspired by the Fabulian and Eblanese models of having their citizenry take up in the keep of the castle itself…His Highness has taken it a step further by allowing his citizens all-area access to the castle. His dream was to make the new Damcyan Castle an oasis for the arts, free thought and impenetrable shelter for those who lost their homes and families in the war…"

As Harley went on and on, hardly stopping to take a breath, they climbed a flight of stairs into one of the towers, and she walked them through an example of a dormitory that had been built exclusively for children orphaned by the war. The children inside were laughing and shrieking, chasing each other in games of tag and double-fisting portions of cake and ice cream while their nursemaids sat in a corner, enjoying their lunches and talking quietly. One of the children ran up to Harley, calling her name and hugging her leg tightly. Harley laughed and hugged her back, and Palom snorted.

"How are these kids not terrified of her?!"

"Oy Palom…you're not afraid of a little wisp of a Troian beauty like her, are you?" Cid guffawed, and Palom turned red.

They crossed a breezeway to a new tower, which housed the castle's inn and a variety of shops. A group of soldiers were huddled at the small bar contained within, shouting random toasts and swigging a gulp of mead before making a new one. When Harley led the group past, they all let out a cheer for Baron and banged their glasses together.

Harley led them in a loop back downstairs into an antechamber, and glanced at her watch.

"Perfect," she nodded to herself, and the guards standing at the entryway before them pulled open the doors.

Inside the new room, sitting on a raised golden throne embedded with sapphires and cushioned in the finest crimson velvet, was King Edward of Damcyan. Cecil barely recognized him from the last time they had seen each other. His flaxen hair was shining as it spilled over his shoulders, and his normally pale complexion had an almost rosy glow. His brown eyes were bright and alert, and true to his adversity to formality, he was wearing his favorite red cap and traveling garments – no crown or ornate ensemble. Truly, Cecil did not think he had ever seen Edward so happy in their time of acquaintance – the man had come a long way from when Cecil had found him weeping on the floor in this very room a year ago, on the brink of death from heartbreak.

And standing before Edward were more familiar faces – Yang Fang Leiden, the King of Fabul and the country's Grandmaster Monk, and one of Troia's eight holy Epopts, sisters who protected the Earth Crystal and ruled Troia.

Yang had his arms crossed over his chest, and nodded to the others when they entered. He had never been a man who was terribly forthright with his emotions, but he seemed even more subdued than usual. Out of everyone in the room, Cecil had seen Yang the most since his wedding – even though Cecil and Yang were crowned close to the same time, Cecil had leaned on Yang heavily for advice – he was fifteen years older and had seemingly been born with all the qualities that made a king, whereas Cecil felt like he was still learning into everything that had been dropped in his lap. But Yang had been his normal self the last couple of times they saw each other, which made his aloof demeanor now all the more troubling to Cecil.

Notably absent were two people Cecil thought for sure would have arrived by now: Rydia and Edge. Cecil hadn't seen Rydia since the wedding, but had heard through Luca, who occasionally snuck up to the surface world to assist Cid on his engineering projects, that she was doing well. He had met up with Edge on more than one occasion to deliver supplies to help rebuild Eblan – and Edge was, well, Edge. If becoming King of Eblan hadn't changed him, nothing ever would. He was still skirt-chasing, obnoxious, and brash – but at least totally upfront about all of it.

Edward stood up from his throne, genteelly clearing his throat and looking among all those who had gathered before him. Harley made a quick motion with her hand and the guards closed the throne room doors. She climbed the steps to the throne and took her position to Edward's left, several paces behind him. On each side of the room, massive tables had been set up, with a buffet spread that contained some of the finest cuisine specialties from the world over – Harley had done meticulous research to make sure every kingdom's signature dish was represented so that every guest had a familiar favorite to dine upon. The mingling smells were mouthwatering – if it weren't for Porom's iron grip, Palom would have dove head-first into the tiered cake at the center of it all.

Edward raised his hand. "Greetings, honored guests. I must first express my unending gratitude for all of my dear friends who have come to join us here today. It is only thanks to your generous support that Damcyan could be restored to the bustling town you see before you. And so, to celebrate our reconstruction and to show my appreciation for all that you have done, I would like to take this opportunity to..."

"Get on with it, already!" Palom sighed, eyeing the cake. Porom snorted and yanked on his braid, hissing into his ear.

"Palom, _hush_!"

All of the adults in the audience, including the Elder, tried not to stare incredulously at Palom as he winced from Porom's discipline. Harley looked like she was about to blow a gasket, and Cecil could swear he saw a stray hair spring out of her otherwise perfect hair in anger.

Edward merely laughed, and the way it echoed in the throne room sounded like music.

"Ha ha ha! I missed your candor, Palom."

Palom smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then let me dispense with the formalities. There is just one thing I would like to say…Damcyan owes its revival to all of you. I will never forget this debt. Thank you all!"

Everyone cheered and applauded, and Edward bowed deeply. Rosa leaned in, whispering in Cecil's ear.

"Edward has grown to be a splendid king."

Cecil nodded. "Indeed."

Edward motioned toward the buffet stations. "Let us leave the speeches and formal talk here. We must enjoy this rare time together with such dear friends!"

The audience began to break out into groups to chat and get food together. The Elder and Troian Epopt hugged excitedly.

"How are your sisters?"

"We're all doing wonderfully…Troia has benefited so much from being able to send our acolytes to Mysidia for training. We have some of our own little rising stars, now…they're no Palom and Porom, of course, but…one young girl, Leonora, shows exceptional promise as a future Epopt, especially since she has come home from Mysidia." She shook her head and sighed happily. "And look at Edward…he has become a fine young man. Damcyan is going to become a vital center of trade with him on the throne…I just know it."

The Elder nodded. "Mingling together with his people…Yes, King Edward lives true to his beliefs in every aspect of his life and in this castle. I traveled to Damcyan once; long ago…Edward was but a fearful child, then. He had never wanted to be the heir to the throne. His parents would be extremely proud if they were alive today."

Cid and Porom were in the buffet line, and since Cid could reach all the food, he held Porom's plate and let her direct what she wanted to put on it.

"Just what I'd expect from Edward! His castle is full of friendly folks, huh?" Cid grinned.

Cecil came up behind Porom, and Porom threw her arms around him, feeling freer now that the formalities had been lifted.

"It's been too long, Cecil. I'm so glad to see that you're well."

"And you as well," Cecil said, mussing her hair. "Does your brother ever give you a break?"

"Not hardly," Porom smiled. "But…I still love him. He and the Elder are all I've got, after all."

"You have family everywhere, now," Cecil said, and Porom flushed happily. Palom sauntered up behind them, and cocked an eyebrow.

"Look at you, Cecil. Finally learning how to act like a king, huh?"

Porom glared at Palom, but Cecil smiled. He knew this was Palom's twisted way of saying that he missed him. He followed Cid's lead and got a plate for Palom, and Palom began to pick out food excitedly, dropping the cool act.

Harley observed the room from her corner behind the throne, making sure everyone's glass was full and that none of the food was running out. Most everyone was talking amongst themselves, but Yang was staring out a window, contemplative. She knew he had rushed over to the ceremony from morning training, and perhaps was still distracted. Her eyes then fell on Rosa, who was leaning against one of the marble columns that flanked the room, staring out at nothingness. In her hand, she held a glass of water, but Harley could see it was shaking slightly.

Harley leaned in, whispering to Edward.

"Queen Rosa looks rather pale. Has she been unwell?"

Edward leaned back in his throne, keeping his voice low.

"Cecil did disclose to me that she has been ill – he had been concerned she might not make it to the celebration today. Maybe you can be of aid to her, Harley – you two are close to the same age – you'll surely get along. Rosa was very kind to me the short time I traveled with her and Cecil."

"Of course," Harley nodded. "Just let me wrap up a few things first." She pulled out her radio, and began rattling off some orders to whoever was on the other end.

After helping Palom with his food, Cecil handed the plate over to him and walked up to Yang. He gently tapped him on the shoulder, and Yang jumped – not at all what Cecil was expecting. Yang's instincts were usually so in tune to what was going on around him, that he would have normally turned to face Cecil before he could have even raised his hand.

"Oh, Cecil…" Yang crossed his bare, tattooed arms over his chest.

"What's wrong, Yang?" Cecil asked concernedly. "Is something bothering you?"

Yang glanced out the window again, shaking his head.

"Oh…No, it's nothing."

Cecil frowned. He knew that tone – considering he had just said the same thing to Rosa that morning after his disturbing nightmare. He wasn't sure if he was forcing his own feelings of uncertainty on his friends, or if something strange was going on.

Yang forced a laugh, and threw an arm around Cecil's shoulders, nodding to Edward. "But would you look at our Edward? He has put together a fine celebration here. You should congratulate him in person, Cecil – he looks up to you the most, you know." Cecil looked over at Edward. He agreed with Yang, of course – Edward had really outshone everyone's expectations – but he knew when the subject was being forcefully changed. He decided to play along, for now.

"I think I'll do that," Cecil said, and gently detangled himself from Yang's arm, approaching the throne.

 _There's too much that is "off" this morning…I can't quite put my finger on it, but…_

"Cecil!" Edward exclaimed, and stood up, reaching for Cecil's hand. Cecil shook Edward's hand, and he smiled wider. "Thank you for coming, Cecil…never in my life did I think the king of the most powerful nation in the world would make it out to see Damcyan and I. Growing up, our relations with Baron were always strained, at best…it's a dream to not only be allies with Baron now, but for the King and Queen to be such dear personal friends of my own. And it's thanks to you, Cecil, that I can call everyone in this room my friends as well. You are the one who brought us all together."

Cecil blushed slightly, and nodded. To hear Edward say all of this even after Baron's Red Wings had destroyed Damcyan and murdered the royal family, including Edward's fiancée – it was he that was fortunate to be forgiven by Edward, even if he hadn't played a direct role in the massacre. Cecil had always felt guilty that he, Rydia and Tellah had not arrived in time to save anyone, and had only been able to watch the chaos unfold, helpless.

 _But speaking of Rydia…_

Cecil looked around. The only new person that had arrived to the festivities was a sandy-bearded man in a blue robe that Cecil recognized as Damcyan's elderly chancellor, one of the very few survivors of the bombing. Rydia and Edge were both still missing. Edge, he would have expected to be late – knowing him, he probably forgot what day it was and was gallivanting in the Eblan desert with his ninja clan – Edge had thrown himself into the training of his new army with reckless abandon, something the Seneschal of Eblan agonized over every day _("The King of Eblan should be on his throne, here with his people, and guiding the development of our nation! Not trying to get himself killed in an accident by rookie ninjas!"_ ).

But Princess Luca had told Cecil and Rosa that Rydia was excited about seeing everyone again – especially Edward, whom she had become close to prior to her being stolen away to the Feymarch when Leviathan attacked their ship. It wasn't like her to be late, either.

"Are Rydia and Edge not coming?" Cecil asked. Edward frowned, tucking his hair behind his ear.

"They both said that they would – even Edge RSVP'ed by the requested deadline. I suppose they will show up sooner or later."

"You must be right," Cecil said, but he still felt uneasy. Yes, something definitely was going on – maybe his nightmare had not been "nothing" after all. He looked back up to Edward, his mouth in a straight line.

"…With the open castle – what have you done with the Crystal? I can't imagine anyone would go after the crystals again, but…"

Edward chuckled. "Of course you would be the first to notice. Don't worry, my friend. I have thought of everything." Edward strode over to the right of his throne, pressing the back of his hand to a seemingly random brick inlaid in the wall. Cecil could barely make it out, but there appeared to be an indentation in the wall where the signet of Edward's ruby ring fit perfectly. A door swung open behind Harley, and Cecil could see the familiar gleam of a crystal room from where he stood.

"Whoa! A hidden door!" Palom squealed, shoving his plate in Porom's hands and running over, barreling past Harley and dashing inside. Porom sighed and set both her plate and Palom's down on the buffet.

"Quiet, Palom!"

She ran after him, disappearing through the threshold.

"It is not just anyone who can open this door," Edward said, holding up his hand. "The crystal is safe here."

Cecil turned toward Rosa, who was staring ahead. She hadn't moved an inch when the door slid open.

"Do you want to see?" Cecil asked. At first, Rosa didn't respond, but after a few seconds, she blinked and looked up, as if she were just seeing him for the first time. Her eyes were unsteady, unfocused – Cecil felt as if she were staring straight through him, and not at him.

"Oh…forgive me. I was just lost in thought. You go ahead with the twins." Cecil was about to protest – suddenly, he didn't want Rosa out of his sight – when Harley stepped forward, gently resting her hand on Rosa's back and taking her drink from her hand, which was in danger of slipping through her fingers from the building condensation.

"Queen Rosa, may I get you a refreshed beverage? And perhaps show you some of the specialties I worked with a Baronian chef to prepare? I'd love to know how they compare to your favorites back at home."

"Oh…yes, that sounds nice, Harley," Rosa said distractedly, and drifted away with Harley's gloved hand still pressed to her lower back. Cecil paused, but decided if Edward could trust Harley, then so could he. He turned to enter the crystal chamber. He had a sinking feeling building in his stomach, and he prayed that he would see nothing amiss.

Inside the chamber, the Crystal of Fire shone brilliantly, slowly spinning in place above the crystal dais, like a tiny planet. It was a transparent blue color, and gleamed like a piece of highly-polished jewelry set in a crown. Cecil could see the reflection of the twins' faces in the stone as they stared up at it from the bottom steps of the dais.

"So, this is Damcyan's famous Fire Crystal, huh?" Palom asked, totally in awe. He had never seen another one of the world's crystals – only the crystal they protected in Mysidia. Even though it looked exactly the same, the aura he could feel radiating from it was remarkably different – powerful, consuming, energetic – not like the gentle, calming, serene light of their crystal in the Tower of Prayer back home.

"The opposing force to the Water Crystal we keep in Mysidia…" Porom trailed off. After a few moments, she gently tugged Palom's sleeve. "…We should go back now."

"What, already!?" Palom protested. "Come on, Porom! Just let me check it out!"

"Are you serious? We finally get to see everyone, and you want to stare at a stone?"

Palom pouted, looking between the crystal and Cecil, who had wandered in behind them. Cecil gave him a look that said _"I can't help you!"_ and Palom finally gave up, sighing.

"Geez…you're such a nag…"

He reluctantly followed Porom out of the crystal room, their leather booties hardly making a sound as they padded across the mirrored floor, and Cecil was left alone. He walked up the steps of the dais, investigating the crystal up-close. It continued to silently shed its light, and Cecil let out a private sigh of relief.

Edward had been right. The crystal was safe – and Cecil chastised himself for worrying about nothing on what was supposed to be a day of celebration.

As he turned to leave, there was a sudden flash of light that reflected off the walls, blinding Cecil and making spots pulse before his eyes. But when he had managed to gain his bearings and look over his shoulder, the crystal remained exactly the same as before – no brighter or duller than when the door to the room had first opened. No one from the throne room had come running in to see what was going on – Cecil could hear them all chatting and laughing, totally oblivious.

 _Must have been my imagination…_ Cecil left the crystal room, and the door automatically shut behind him. _I'm getting too paranoid with Rosa and Yang acting odd, and with Rydia and Edge missing – all because of that strange dream._

"E-Excuse me, my lords, my ladies!"

A shout suddenly came from outside the throne room, and the doors crashed open, revealing a Damcyan soldier that bolted right up to Edward, bowing quickly as he caught his breath. Edward gestured for him to rise and patted his shoulder.

"No need for formalities – what is going on?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt…" The soldier huffed. "…But we've just received word of an incident on Mount Hobs!"

Yang was shaken from his rumination at the window, and looked over his shoulder at the soldier.

"What was that?!"

"Tell us everything," Edward frowned, and the soldier nodded.

"Our lookout on Mount Hobs sent a message, sire. He reported finding a group of Fabulian monks, beaten and unconscious near the summit of the mountain. He tried to revive them, but…he hasn't the white magic strong enough to do so."

Yang's face fell, and he clenched his fist. It was his worst fear – he had thought it was safe to let his men finish their training on their own – he thought they were ready, and that he could go to Damcyan without them. _How foolish! Someone – or something – attacked them without me there! How could I have been so selfish to leave them behind?_

Cecil watched his friend's face, and the clawing feeling in his stomach that he had just managed to banish came roaring back with a vengeance.

"Edward, forgive me – I must go at once!" Yang started to run toward the throne room doors.

"Are you sure you should go alone?" Edward protested. "It may not be safe…"

"I shall go with him," Cecil announced, and ran to Yang's side. Yang paused at the doorway, and shook his head.

"Cecil, you don't have to…"

"I _do_ ," Cecil insisted, forcing Yang to meet his eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Yang stared at Cecil, contemplating the offer, when Rosa walked over from where she had been eating with Harley, resting her hand on Yang's shoulder.

"And I'm going, too. You'll need someone to heal the monks once we find them."

Cecil frowned. He didn't really want Rosa tagging along in her condition, but she was right about being the only one who knew the advanced magic to save the monks' lives. Besides, he felt only he could best protect her if the threat came at them head-on. What if whatever had attacked the monks attacked Damcyan while Cecil was away? He'd never forgive himself for leaving Rosa behind.

Yang sighed. It seemed that he had not the energy to argue, either. "I am in your debt again, friends."

"What could have happened at Mount Hobs?" The Elder shook his head. "I hope this is not a new threat brewing…"

"You old guys are gonna need us, too!" Palom protested. "Take us with you!"

"I'm sure Cecil and the others can handle everything, Palom!" Porom sighed. "You'll just get in the way!"

Cid didn't seem worried, however. He had faith that whatever it was, Cecil would be able to take care of it. He took a bite out of the chicken on Rosa's abandoned plate, and laughed. "Don't worry, I'll polish off all this fancy grub in your place! Just hurry back."

"Please be careful out there," Edward furrowed his brow. "We shall pray for the safety of you all."

Yang, Cecil and Rosa nodded, and fled the throne room. As they pushed past the party-goers and revelers, they could hear the throne room doors slamming shut behind them.

"Yang, did you get here with a hovercraft?" Cecil asked. When he had originally scaled Mount Hobs with Edward, Rosa and Rydia, they had needed to take a Damcyan hovercraft to cross the shoals in the ocean that divided the two land masses – and only Damcyan had control of such a contraption at the time.

"No, Fabul and Damcyan funded a bridge to link our two kingdoms together," Yang said, trying to control the rising concern in his voice. He had to remain calm, for both his comrades and the assaulted monks. _Nothing good will come from panic._ "We just need to cross it to reach Mount Hobs."

"This is eerie," Rosa said softly. "It's like events from a year ago are playing out all over again – this is reminiscent of how we first met you, Yang. I…I don't like it."

"Let us pray the situation is not as dire as the time before," Yang replied. They had emerged from the castle, and Yang pointed east, across the desert. "The bridge is across this way – and from there we'll be at Mount Hobs' doorstep. Let us make haste!"

As they ran, Yang strapped on a pair of claws, flexing his fingers and swiping at the air a few times to get his blood pumping. Cecil had Ragnarok readied in his scabbard, and Rosa was managing to keep up just fine, loading the magazine of the new, pearl-white auto crossbow one of Cid's apprentices had recently engineered for her with freshly-blessed Holy arrows.

"Are you going to be OK?" Cecil asked. Rosa nodded.

"I feel better. Eating helped, and Harley had someone fetch me something from the apothecary for my head. Please, don't worry about me – I won't be a burden."

"Then I won't. Just promise you'll tell me if you need to rest."

Yang, not meaning to overhear the conversation, clenched his jaw. _Sheila...please be safe! Please…whatever attacked my men…don't let it make its way to Fabul!_

Normally, he would have no reason to believe his wife couldn't take care of herself – she had once decimated an invading army with a frying pan, after all. _But things are different now…_

At the base of Mount Hobs, another Damcyan soldier was waiting for them.

"King Cecil! King Yang! It seems the number of monster attacks is increasing again. Please be careful in the field! My colleague is at the summit, watching over the fallen monks."

Yang nodded, practically shoving the soldier aside as they began to scale the well-worn mountain path. As they climbed, it was immediately apparent that the solider was not speaking in dramatics. When the crystals had been restored to their rightful homes, monster populations had greatly diminished in many areas of the world, and monsters that had previously gone feral and openly attacked travelers and townspeople reverted back to their previous habits of mostly leaving people alone unless their nests were disturbed. Mount Hobs had never been a place one could have a family picnic – there was a reason why Yang, and his ancestors before him, trained so vigorously on the summit every day – but prior to the crystals being spirited away, a relatively green soldier could pass through unharmed, and the royals of Damcyan and Fabul were fine if they had escorts. Today, however, flocks of Fledgling Rukhs, red and yellow-feathered cousins of the Cockatrice that had migrated all the way from Eblan's mountains, dive-bombed the party viciously from above without warning, halting their progress every few steps. The ones that were not dispatched by Rosa's crossbow were torn apart by Yang's claws.

The undead still roamed the mountain as well, which Cecil would impale with his sword before they could climb all the way out of their shallow graves scattered throughout the path. Despite the rising elevation, a hot, dry wind would occasionally bluster through, stinging their eyes and causing the cracked skulls and loose bones of former mountaineers to roll about on the rocky floor until they got snagged in dried-up, dying brush, or tumbled over the mountainside. The heat of the wind was so intense, that Cecil could almost taste smoke – this wasn't normal. And the closer they got to the summit, the higher the temperature seemed to rise.

Cecil swiped at the sweat on his brow, stabbing his blade into another shrieking Skuldier's hand that was clawing its way out of the ground. _Does this have to do with the flash of light I thought I saw in the Fire Crystal's chamber?_ _Or is it something else?_

The sun was at its highest point in the sky by the time they reached the summit. Yang dashed ahead, practically leaping up the winding passage to reach the mountain's highest peak. It was eerily silent – there were no aggressive shrieks from the Fledgling Rukhs, no warning chatter from the Skuldiers, and the wind mutely passed through the branches of the rotting, blackened trees that were long-dead and had entered the late stages of petrifaction.

"Are you all right?" Cecil and Rosa heard Yang call from above.

A Damcyan soldier came barreling down from the ledge above, skidding to a stop in front of Cecil and Rosa just as they were about to begin their climb.

"Your Highnesses! Did King Edward get my message?"

"He did," Cecil said. "Are the monks up there?"

"It doesn't look good, Sire," the soldier frowned. "Whatever got them must have sprung a surprise attack. I see no evidence of a struggle, so I don't think they were able to fight back. But no one – and nothing – has been back the entire time I've been keeping guard."

"Please stay here," Cecil said. "We'll take a look." The soldier nodded, and Cecil and Rosa raced after Yang. They found him kneeling before one of two bodies, and it was plainly evident from their traditionally shaved heads and their dust-covered blue cotton drawstring pants that they were Fabulian acolytes. Cecil knelt before the second body, gently lifting a wrist to take a pulse and then pressing his head against the monk's bare chest.

"He's still breathing!" Cecil declared, and Yang nodded soberly.

"Indeed…but these weren't the men I was training with this morning…I'm confused about why they would have been out here."

Cecil stood up. "Rosa, can you cast Arise?"

Rosa was standing at the edge of the plateau, her eyes glazed over as she stared beyond the fallen monks toward the darkened cavern entrance that would guide them around to the eastern pass of the mountain and take them toward Fabul. In the distance, the northern seas were glittering under the noontime sun, indifferent to the carnage that had occurred above.

"Rosa!" Cecil said a little louder, and she blinked.

"R-Right away!" She nodded, and began to cast the spell. Cecil and Yang exchanged uneasy looks, but said nothing. A rainbow globe of light appeared above each monk, raining sunbeams and translucent feathers over their bodies. As the light faded away, both of the monks began to stir, and Rosa sighed, lowering her crossbow so that it tapped the ground. "Thank goodness their wounds were not serious…"

"I would expect no less from any monk of Fabul," Cecil said. Yang extended his hand, helping the first monk up and grasping onto his arm to keep him steady.

"What happened here, An?"

"Master!" An cried. "Your wife…I mean, Queen Sheila…she has…" He glanced over at Cecil and Rosa, trailing off, but Yang had heard enough.

"What!?" Yang gasped. "When…?"

"Bale and I were on our way to Damcyan to inform you when we were ambushed," An added. The other monk, presumably Bale, nodded.

"We don't know how long we've been out of it, Your Highness…so we'd best hurry…"

"Excuse me…but is there something wrong with Sheila…?" Rosa began, but Cecil suddenly threw his arm in front of her, withdrawing his sword with his free hand. A low growl was coming from the cavern ahead of them, and two narrowed, amber eyes were blinking at them from within.

"Yang!" Cecil hissed. "This presence…!"

"That's the thing that attacked us, I'm sure of it!" Bale gasped. "Those eyes were the last thing I saw!"

"Can you still fight?" Yang asked.

The two monks pounded their fists against their bare chests. "Of course!"

The assailant drifted out of the cavern, flashing a mouthful of blue, needlelike teeth set on a round, wide face. At first, Cecil thought it was just one of the Bombs that regularly were out and about on Mount Hobs – it would have explained the oppressive heat if there was a nest nearby. But then the rest of the Bomb emerged from the shadows – a mass of pulsing, swirling blue smoke that made up two arms and a long torso that trailed off into a nub of a tail.

"I feel like this is déjà vu…again," Rosa muttered. "First the Mom Bomb a year ago...and now this must be the Dad."

"But this time, we don't have Rydia's magic to make quick work of it," Cecil frowned. "So remain vigilant!"

"Attack!" Yang commanded, and An and Bale dashed forward and leapt in the air simultaneously, delivering a pair of punishing flying back kicks into the Dad Bomb's face. Yang slid underneath the Bomb's floating form, slamming his fists into it from behind as it flew backward from the monk acolytes' attacks. The pincer attack resulted in the Dad Bomb exploding in a fiery, smoky mess, splitting into three Gray Bombs and three Balloons, a purple variety of the Bomb family.

The explosion had knocked down Yang, An and Bale, who were struggling to pull themselves up as they coughed and tried to fan away the smoke being absorbed into their lungs. Cecil rushed into the smoke, thrusting his sword into the Bombs one by one, and Rosa cast a Curaga spell to get the three monks back on their feet. By the time the smoke finally cleared, the six Bombs were dying on the ground, and the mountain air had already begun to cool down. Cecil let out the air he had been holding in his lungs so that he didn't breathe in the smoke, and sheathed his weapon.

"Is everyone OK?" Rosa asked, and the men all nodded.

"Even after all this time…our foes grow ever stronger…" Cecil shook his head.

Yang ran the back of his hand across his forehead, which was coated with sweat. "I will return to Fabul with An and Bale. Cecil, Rosa – you should head back to Damcyan."

"But Yang…" Cecil objected. "…We're also worried about Sheila."

"We don't understand what's going on, but – possibly I can help with my white magic," Rosa added. Yang looked at his two friends, and sighed.

"I-I cannot thank you enough…I feel terrible. This was supposed to be a day of celebration for Edward, a break I know we were all looking forward to – and I have disrupted it and caused us to scatter. I'm really quite ashamed."

"Yang…" Cecil shook his head. "You're our friend. And Sheila, too. You've both done so much for Rosa and I – and Edward, probably better than anyone else, understands what it means to be there for your family and your kingdom. He wouldn't want you to suffer on his account."

An and Bale both looked up at Yang, and Yang nodded.

"Thank you, Cecil. And you too, Rosa. I can see I was mistaken to try to shoulder my troubles alone. We will return to Fabul, and get an update on Sheila – together."

"Then let's be going!" Cecil smiled, and An and Bale left to clear the path ahead for them. Cecil called down to the Damcyan soldier that was still waiting for them. "Tell King Edward that we are heading to Fabul, and that everything is all right!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The soldier called back, and turned back toward the direction they had originally come from. Yang had left to follow his men. Cecil rested his hand on Rosa's back, and she smiled at him weakly, strapping her crossbow over her shoulder.

 _I knew something was on Yang's mind…but what a relief that we were able to save the monks, and that it was only an enraged monster and not something more serious. We can check up on Sheila, and then I can get Rosa home. We'll have to make it up to Edward another time._

* * *

Fabul Castle was nestled just outside of a massive forest, with the sea to its back. Fabul had a formidable navy in addition to their monks, although they had hardly ever utilized it – they were not a country drawn into much conflict, with the exception of Golbez abducting their Wind Crystal last year. Primarily, Fabul used their navy and ships for sea passage if there was a need for anyone in the kingdom to travel outside the continent.

Crossing the moat and drawbridge that led to the castle gates, the party was greeted by a variety of monk guards, all of which seemed more excited than usual to see Yang. There was a sense of anticipation in the air so thick that Cecil and Rosa could both practically reach out and grab it. Their suspicions were confirmed when the Duke Consort himself came out to greet them – he had probably been notified the second Yang had set foot on the property.

"You men…return to your posts," Yang ordered An and Bale.

"Yes, Master!" They nodded, and took their positions in front of the doorway the Duke Consort had entered through.

"I have returned," Yang said, and the Duke Consort bowed briefly. "How…how is my wife?"

"Your heir should be born at any moment, Master Yang."

"What!?" Cecil and Rosa cried, and looked at each other, jaws on the floor. Yang and the Duke Consort, thanks to years of intense discipline related to tempering one's emotions, didn't even flinch at their simultaneous outburst. The Duke Consort would have allowed himself a laugh, if the situation wasn't quite so serious – it was such an amusing contrast, the young rulers of Baron compared to Yang and himself.

 _So that was what the monks were trying to warn Yang about…Sheila is in labor – having a baby! No wonder Yang has been on another planet all morning._ Cecil crossed his arms over his chest, looking back up at Yang. _What was he waiting for?_

"Yang, go to her!"

Yang flushed and looked down. "I can't…There's nothing I can do for her now…"

"Yang!" Rosa gasped.

"No. Until the babe is born, I will busy myself training the acolytes." With that, he shot An a look. An jumped in place and immediately assumed a starting stance, with Yang following suit.

"Er…won't you even take a day like this off?" Bale asked nervously. Yang squatted, closing his eyes and pressing his hands together.

"Training exists especially for days like this! When one feels powerless, there is no better remedy than to tear down those weaknesses and rebuild through training."

Rosa frowned and put her hands on her hips.

The Duke Consort shook his head. "Forgive him, King Cecil…Queen Sheila is sequestered at the top of the western tower. Please, won't you go and support her through her labor? She would do well to have at least one familiar face by her side."

Cecil looked to Rosa, and she nodded.

"Yes, of course we'll go," Cecil replied, and the Duke Consort bowed.

Cecil and Rosa remembered their way to the western tower from the last time they had been in Fabul together, long ago when they returned to tell Sheila that Yang was laid up in a coma in the underworld. At the time, Cecil had been shocked at how nonchalant Sheila was about the whole situation – and insisted that they rouse Yang from his "slumber" by smacking him in the head with a frying pan. She was one of the most _intense_ women Cecil had ever met – and he wondered if perhaps it wasn't a matter of Yang not wanting to be in the way, and more like Sheila banning him from catching her in a vulnerable moment.

As they climbed the spiral steps to the top, they could hear a woman's screams echoing as they got closer and closer. Cecil turned white at the thought of what was going on above them, and Rosa grasped tightly onto his hand, taking the lead for the both of them. The door at the top of the tower was ajar, and light was pouring out into the dark hall.

Rosa pushed open the door, and was greeted by a loud, high-pitched shriek. It wasn't a woman's scream like they had heard before – this time; it was the cry of something much more delicate. Sheila was curled up in a bed tucked into the corner of the room, with an older woman, the midwife, blocking most of their view. They could hear the sound of water being poured into a basin, and a low voice whispering soothingly.

"Wah! WAAAH!"

They stepped inside hesitantly, and the midwife turned, smiling at the visitors. In her arms, she was holding a squirming bundle of towels, some of them soaked with red fluid. Underneath the towels, a little fist flew out, and another loud cry ricocheted off the walls.

"WAH!"

"The baby is out!" Rosa gasped. Cecil stared in awe as the woman removed one of the soaked towels, dipped a new one in warm water, and ran it over the baby's chest. He caught a glance of a chubby, red-skinned foot jutting out from the midwife's arms, kicking at the air excitedly.

 _That is definitely Yang's child_ , Cecil thought.

"I'm just getting the baby cleaned up," the woman said, and Sheila let out a low moan from the bed. After a few more moments, the midwife swaddled the baby in an ivory muslin blanket, handing it over to Sheila. Sheila slowly reached up, taking the baby in her arms and holding it closely against her chest. Her violet hair was half in a ponytail, half-splayed out over the pillows, most of it sticking to her neck and face, which was flushed with a stain of scarlet.

"Was that Rosa I heard…?" Sheila whispered, her eyes half-open. "Rosa, dear…do you know where Yang is?"

"Sheila!"

Yang barreled past Cecil and Rosa, running to Sheila's bedside. Behind him, taking slower strides, was the Duke Consort. He took his position next to Cecil and Rosa, smiling slightly and whispering.

"He couldn't keep away after all…he was practically right behind you."

Sheila opened her eyes fully, turning to face Yang, the baby clutched to her chest.

"Honey…" She breathed, and cracked a smile. "You came."

"Is it…?" Yang peered over her anxiously, trying to catch a glance at the baby, and the midwife laughed.

"It is a very healthy little girl."

Sheila sat up slowly in the bed, lifting the baby girl up so that Yang could see. Yang's eyes widened, and he gently took her into his hands, her tiny form dwarfed inside his massive arms. She had a full head of blonde hair, and resplendent, champagne-colored eyes. Yang's eyes began to water, and he lowered his head. The baby stared up at him wondrously.

"A girl…My daughter…She's so small and light…But…I can feel how _warm_ she is…" He sniffled and clung to the baby tighter. "You've done it, Sheila! You've made our dream come true."

Sheila smiled wider and nestled up against the pillows, closing her eyes again and resting her hands in her lap. "I'm so happy…"

Rosa, who hadn't let go of Cecil the entire time, lightly ran her thumb over the back of his hand. As Cecil watched Yang gaze at the baby's face, gently reaching with his finger to trace it over her nose and lips, he felt a curious, warm longing in his chest. Never in his twenty-one years had he witnessed the miracle of a new life entering the world – and this was the most peaceful he had ever seen either Yang or Sheila, despite the chaos that had just unfolded moments before. He wondered if that was the kind of look his mother had given him when he was born – he had only been alive for mere moments before she had died, having used the last of her strength to deliver him. Had she been happy to meet him? Had he smiled when he saw her face for the first and last time, or did he cry?

The only person in the world who could possibly know the answer to any of those questions was light-years away, sleeping within a roving moon that had disappeared from the heavens a year prior – his estranged brother.

He looked down at Rosa, squeezing her hand as she flicked a tear off her cheek. A dreamy look had overtaken her features as she watched the new family's first moments together.

"Congratulations!" She exclaimed, sniffling.

"Why didn't you even tell us you were expecting?" Cecil asked incredulously. Yang looked down as the baby broke free from her swaddle and grabbed his finger, her fingers locking in a mini-death grip.

"Sheila and I have had a lot of difficulties when we've tried for a child in the past," Yang replied softly. "It's been our dream to start a family of our own since we were married. When the war ended, we both accepted that perhaps it was not meant to be. But…we discovered shortly after that the gods had plans of which we were yet unaware. We didn't want to jinx anything, so we kept it quiet from most everyone. I also didn't wish to take away from today's celebration…You are the first of our friends to know the truth."

Cecil sighed and shook his head, smiling. Of course Yang wouldn't want something as _minor_ as the birth of his first child to make him the center of attention for even one minute. "You never change, do you?"

Rosa giggled behind her hand. How good it was to be celebrating two amazing miracles in one day after the past few weeks of drifting despair – the rebirth of Damcyan and the birth of a Fabulian heir! It made the brutal trek across Mount Hobs completely worth it.

"Cecil…there is something I'd like to ask of you," Yang said, his voice suddenly solemn once more. "Would you consider being my daughter's godfather…and giving her a name?"

"What?" Cecil blinked, and Rosa brought her hand to her chest. "You want _me_ to name her? Are you sure?"

"If you would agree, we would be honored. Sheila and I have already discussed it."

Sheila looked up at Cecil pleadingly. "Please, Cecil. Won't you do it? You and Rosa would be the best possible guardians for our little girl, should anything ever happen. And you've done so much for us…you made sure that Yang could come home, and without that, our child wouldn't be here right now. That's why we wanted you to name her."

Rosa patted Cecil's hand, and smiled up at him. He took a deep breath, stealing another glance at the baby. Her eyes were closed, already sleeping and at-ease in her father's arms. Yang looked so protective of her, like he would take on the world to keep the smile on her face. A man who was as large as a gigas and as fearful as a bear had been reduced to a love struck boy by a six pound cub.

And that was when the perfect name idea came to him.

"Well then…how about Ursula?" Cecil suggested.

"Oh, that is a fine name!" Yang set the baby back down in Sheila's arms. The baby cooed, opening her eyes and reaching for her mother's breast, her swaddling falling away.

"A very strong name, Cecil," Rosa smiled.

"Ursula…I think she likes it! You have named her well, Cecil!"

Ursula let out a gurgle, a gummy smile forming on her chubby face. Yang leaned down, stroking a finger over her cheek. "Ursula! Aren't you glad we asked your Uncle Cecil?"

"Uncle…!" Cecil blushed, and Rosa laughed, leaning her head against his arm.

"Thank you, Cecil." Sheila smiled as she tried to position Ursula in her arms to help her latch for feeding. The midwife leaned over, whispering some advice as she helped Sheila get more comfortable.

The window to the north of Sheila's bed was thrown open, letting in the bright afternoon sunshine and the occasional chatter from the courtyards outside. A shout of surprise drifted up through the air, and the sound of airship rotors began to cut in, getting louder and closer by the second. Cecil walked over to the window, leaning outside. Sailing directly over the tower was a cherry-stained airship that looked like any other Red Wings ship, with the exception of the massive drill attached at the bow. That meant that it could only be one ship in particular – the only model to ever have been fashioned with such an accessory.

"That's the _Falcon_!" Cecil blinked. "But the Falcon should be in the hands of the dwarves..."


	3. Dream Three: Haunted

Dream Three: Haunted

"Your Highness, we should return to meet with our visitors," The Duke Consort said. Yang half-nodded as he stared down at Sheila and Ursula anxiously.

"Go on dear," Sheila gently shooed him away with her hand. "Ursula is hungry, and there is nothing you can help with in regard to that!"

Yang blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Er, I guess not…"

"Can I help with anything?" Rosa asked. "I can meet them downstairs in a few moments if you need another pair of hands."

"It would be nice if you could get some more water boiled," the midwife said. "There's still some clean-up yet to do."

Rosa nodded, and turned to Cecil.

"I'm going help up here, all right? I'll be down shortly."

"Sure," Cecil said, and nodded toward Yang. He knew it was the white mage in Rosa that made her always want to jump into the fray and help others – regardless of how run-down she was feeling herself. He figured she would be ok with a trained healer in the room with her. "Let's go." The Duke Consort, Yang and Cecil filed out of the room, and Cecil closed the door behind them. Rosa walked over to the range, adding more wood to the fire underneath before hoisting a metal pail full of water that was sitting in reserve nearby onto the burner.

"If that's too heavy dear, let me do it," the midwife called over from where she was starting to strip some of the bedding.

"It's OK!" Rosa said, leaning in over the pail to make sure the water was starting to bubble up. _I must look like a weak mess if an elderly woman is offering to help me lift a bucket of water._ Satisfied, she walked back over to Sheila, taking one last look at baby Ursula. There was a slight smile on Sheila's face as Ursula nursed away.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Sheila sighed. "I can't believe that when I woke up this morning, it was just me and Yang…and now all of a sudden, it's the three of us. It just goes to show, everything you know in life can change at a moment's notice."

 _I know that feeling too well_ , Rosa mused. "Ursula will lead a very joyous life with you two as her parents. She looks just like Yang with all that blonde hair, doesn't she?"

"I know!" Sheila laughed, shaking her head. "I do all the work, and this is how she turns out. But…it wouldn't matter what she looked like – it was love the first moment I realized she was with us."

"When did you know?"

"It sounds like a fairytale, but…I dreamt of her. I've always had amazing intuition. You have to, if you're married to someone like Yang – he's always running off somewhere and forgetting that he has a wife to be accountable to. One night, I had a dream that the castle was empty, and I was wandering, listening to a baby's cry and trying to find it. When I walked into the throne room, the crying had stopped, and I found a child's tiara sitting on Yang's throne. When I woke up, I knew she was here, and I immediately summoned Kaya." She nodded toward the midwife, who was piling the bedding and towels she had stripped away into a wicker basket. "Kaya used to be a medic for the Fabulian navy, and she's assisted in nearly every birth in the kingdom in the last forty years. She's undoubtedly the wisest woman in all of Fabul – and she confirmed what I already knew. Getting to tell Yang the news when he got home from training was the happiest day of my life."

"That is so wonderful," Rosa gently ran her fingertips over Ursula's mop of hair. It felt silky and new against her skin, and she wished it was something she could bottle, like a lotion. "I'm glad Cecil and I were able to be here for you today. Seeing the look on Cecil's face when you asked him to be Ursula's godfather…it's a side of him I have rarely seen, even in all of our years together. Cecil has never had a family of his own growing up…so I'm glad he's able to build one with his friends."

Sheila nodded, lifting Ursula over her shoulder and gently patting her back to burp her.

"I appreciate you and Cecil coming to check up on us. Just make sure you take care of yourself, Rosa – you don't look so great, if you don't mind me being forward."

"I would expect nothing less from you," Rosa laughed nervously. "I just haven't been feeling well…and a lot has been on my mind." _Kain, mostly…_ "I wish I could talk to Cecil about it, but…it's a sensitive subject. A dear friend of ours has been missing since we returned…and Cecil and I both thought when we were done fighting, things would go back to how they used to be between the three of us. But, Kain left…and hasn't made any contact with us since. I've been thinking about when the right time is to move on – and it breaks Cecil's heart for me to even mention the possibility. I think he blames himself for Kain's disappearance."

"The dragoon that attacked you two in the crystal chamber when Golbez raided Fabul?" Sheila asked pointedly. Rosa looked down, and Ursula let out a quiet burp, drooling over Sheila's bare shoulder. Sheila patted Ursula's back again, as instinctually as if she had been rearing children all her life. "Oh honey, that battle was the gossip for weeks around here – ya'all think I didn't put two and two together when Cecil and the others came up here after fighting with a traitorous countryman, and their white mage had gone missing? Kain is lucky he never came back here – I would have given him a piece of my mind with my soup ladle and he wouldn't be walking right, let alone jumping ever again."

"He was under a spell, at the time," Rosa sighed. "Although we know now some of his feelings were rooted in…reality."

"Then that makes it _your_ reality," Sheila said firmly. "If you… _and Cecil_ , can't accept your new present, you're going to have a difficult future. Things are never going to go back to how they used to be – I can promise you that as one Queen to another. The world was changed by the war, and you and your friends have changed as well – by what you've seen, what you've experienced, and the people you've met. Yang has changed too, in some ways – I've accepted that I can't comprehend everything that has happened to him, but all that matters now is that he came back to me. I too sometimes wish I could go back to a simpler time – but I wouldn't give anything up I have now to strike that bargain." She hugged Ursula tightly against her, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against Ursula's ear.

"She is my… _our_ future. And if I hadn't learned to accept the present, Ursula might have never been. You catchin' my drift?"

"Thanks, Sheila," Rosa smiled weakly. _If only Cecil were with me to hear this…_ "I needed to hear an outside perspective. And you are right – I wouldn't give up what I have with Cecil to go back to how things used to be, and I wouldn't give up my friends either, like you and Yang. I'm confident Cecil wouldn't make the trade either. But how do I remind him of that?"

"It's part of being young dear, questioning everything around you and wishing for the best life possible," Sheila shook her head. "When you're my age, you'll wonder why you ever worried about the things you couldn't change – it all just comes with perspective. It doesn't help that at your age, you've already been through so much – you probably experienced a lifetime of emotions during the war, and spent many nights falling asleep wondering if it would be the last night on the planet. But you are right – Cecil wouldn't give you up for the world. I saw the way he looked after you went missing after the attack here in Fabul, and I saw the way he was watching you when you two burst in here. It was the same look in his eyes both times – he would be lost without you. Maybe he can't always articulate it, but everyone can see it."

"Oh…" Rosa blushed and looked away. "You can tell that just by a look?"

"It's other things, too," Sheila laughed. "Intuition, remember? But I do not jest – take care of yourself, dear – Your heart, and your body. If you're not at your best, you'll be no good to anyone. When you and Cecil go home tonight, tell him what you just told me. I'm sure you can get him to open up to you a little more."

"Thank you," Rosa nodded, and bowed so deeply, her hair fell over her face like a curtain. "But on that note, I suppose I should go down and see why the Falcon is here. I would be lying if I said I was not a little concerned. And I'm sure you're exhausted."

"Go on, then," Sheila nodded. "Ursula is lucky she has such a strong Aunt to look up to. We'll catch up some more later."

Rosa blushed deeper, and made her exit. As the door slammed shut behind her, Kaya dragged the basket over to the range, and began to drop towels into the now-boiling water. She and Sheila exchanged knowing smiles, and Sheila settled back into the bed, patting Ursula's back again and whistling a lullaby.

"We'll have to find a playmate for you soon, little princess…we can't have Daddy taking you up to Mount Hobs with him every day. I pray that you'll find the kind of friendship and love your father and his friends have – it will be too soon before you learn that is all one ever really has in this world, even in peacetime."

* * *

Rosa slipped into the throne room moments before their visitors arrived. Cecil, Rosa and Yang could hear them before they had even appeared – it sounded like they were having an argument.

"It was a rough landing – don't be so hard on yourself, dear. The important part was that you didn't crash into the pier."

"But she _almost_ did!"

"Mistakes are how we learn, Palom! You, of all people should know that."

"And she got us out of the ocean and back onto land. A commendable feat!"

Cid, Palom, Porom and Princess Luca burst through the throne room doors. Cecil ran up to Cid, who looked wind-tossed with his goggles askew and his blue jumpsuit stained with water.

"Cid! What are you doing here?!" Cecil asked.

"Looking for action, that's what!" Palom declared, twirling his electric-green Faerie Rod in his hand. "Luca, who may or may not be trying to kill us all, hunted us down in Damcyan."

Luca turned red, a commendable feat for a dwarf with the traditional midnight coloring of the underworld kingdom's residents. She had sprouted up a couple of inches in the past year, and was now nearly a head taller than Palom and Porom despite only being a year older than them. Her long, flaming-orange hair was pulled back into two pigtails, and her yellow eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and admiration in Palom's direction – she had been nursing a crush on him ever since they had met at Cecil's coronation last year. She had forgone her usual fancy pink dresses for a simple orange shift with leggings underneath, and leather flats. Sitting upon her head, she wore her own pair of goggles, similar to Cid's.

"Excuse me…" Luca growled, but Cid interrupted her.

"There's talk of monsters pouring out of the Sealed Cave, lad!" Cid exclaimed. Cecil frowned, and Rosa shook her head in disbelief.

"What!?"

"We dwarves can't beat them all on our own," Luca sighed. "We've got as many men as we can spare in the cave, and we scrapped many of our tanks when the war ended – the ones we have left can't cross the magma to reach the Sealed Cave. I could tell Father was worried, so I snuck up to the overworld to get help. I went straight to Baron to look for Cid, but the soldiers at the castle said he was in Damcyan. So I flew there, and well…here we are now."

"You flew up here all by yourself in the Falcon?" Rosa asked worriedly. "That could have been dangerous!"

"I was desperate," Luca frowned, looking down. "A few of my bodyguards tagged along with me. The Sealed Cave has never just opened on its own before. I've had the key with me the entire time." She lifted a pearl necklace that was tucked under the neck of her shift – Cecil recognized it as the key they had used to open the door last time. "The momentum of all of those monsters breaking out – it must have been overwhelming for the seal. It was meant to keep people and creatures _out_ – not hold them in."

"The Elder told us to do whatever we could to help," Porom added.

 _So it's not over…_ Cecil crossed his arms. _It wasn't my imagination…the crystals were trying to warn us. And now the crystal in the Sealed Cave might be in danger – I can't let them go alone. They have no idea about the dangers within…_

"I will do the same," Cecil said, and Luca clasped her hands together.

"Do not forget about me!" Yang said, jumping up from his throne. Cecil shook his head and held out his palm.

"You should stay here with your family, Yang." Yang frowned, and drew his breath to protest, but Palom puffed out his chest.

"There's nothing to worry about, pops! We'll take care of everything!"

Yang looked at the young child so eager to prove himself. He knew the twins were more than capable of taking care of themselves – he had witnessed that numerous times. He didn't want to abandon his friends after everything they had done for him today, but…Cecil was right. Sheila and Ursula needed him there more. For the first time in his life, the siren call of the battlefield was drowned out.

"…Thank you, Palom," Yang nodded.

"Let's go, Rosa," Cecil said, turning to her, and Rosa looked down at the floor. Her mind had suddenly started to race, and just the thought of the oppressive heat and the rotting stench of the Sealed Cave made her want to heave. She closed her eyes, trying to center herself, but behind her closed lids, her memories played back their last moments in that awful place. They had just escaped the cavern's final trap, a terrifying haunted wall that had been sprung to crush them, and at the cave's entrance, the sway Golbez held over Kain's mind returned with a vengeance. Kain had gone berserk – attacking Cecil and stealing the Crystal of Darkness they had rescued, along with gifting Rosa a head wound. She could feel the very spot where she had been struck pulsing painfully with her racing blood right now.

 _Be strong…Cecil needs you! Who will protect him if you can't?_

"Yes…of course…" Rosa trailed off, forcing herself to choke out the words over the feeling of the sickness rising in her throat.

"Rosa!" Cecil gasped. She was so pale that she was practically transparent, and her hands were visibly shaking.

"She's gone as white as sheet!" Cid muttered, but Rosa heard him, shaking her head.

"I-I'm fine. We need to go…"

Without warning, her legs gave out from under her, and Cecil dove forward to catch her before she hit the floor. A collective gasp rose from everyone in the room, and Rosa's head lolled into Cecil's chest. She opened her eyes half-way to meet his gaze as he stared down at her. Porom padded over to Rosa, gingerly reaching for her hand.

"Rosa, please stay here in Fabul and rest. I've been working on my white magic a lot since we last saw each other. I can take care of them."

Rosa closed her eyes again. Porom's soft, childish hand on hers felt like a splash of cold water on her burning skin. "B-but I must…"

 _Her face is on fire!_ Cecil could feel the heat of her skin burning through his chest plate. _There's no way I ask her to go with us…if she gets dizzy and falls down one of the cliffs in the Sealed Cave, she'll plunge to her death. I've asked too much of her…_ He looked back toward Yang, who was paused in front of his throne, his face twisted in worry and his eyes wide, not sure what to do. He and Sheila had a different dynamic – she had never joined him in battle, and he had no qualms with leaving her behind when things got too intense. But he knew it was different with Cecil and Rosa – and he didn't want to force his humble opinions on anyone.

"I'm sorry to ask you, Yang, but please take care of Rosa for me." Cecil begged. Rosa moaned in protest, but Cecil ignored her.

"I understand, Cecil," Yang nodded, walking over to them, his heart flooded in relief. In his mind, Cecil had made the right choice. Porom backed away, and Cecil hauled Rosa to her feet, draping her arm around Yang's shoulder for her. Yang wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her up, and Rosa looked up at Cecil, her eyes rimmed with tears.

"…I'll be fine. It's nothing you need to worry about. Just be safe out there, Cecil…"

"Leave the Lady Rosa in our hands. You all take care of yourselves," Yang said gently.

Cecil took one last look at Rosa, longing to say more, but his thoughts were tangled up in his mind, and he was patently aware of everyone staring at them. He hoped that his eyes could convey it for his failing words…that he was sorry for everything. Not just asking her to accompany him today, but…for last night too. She nodded slightly, and looked away as Yang began to haul her out of the throne room and toward the castle inn, the Duke Consort trailing behind them. Cecil turned to Cid, clenching his fist. He could make amends later, when they were back in Baron. First, he needed to save Luca's people from any further destruction.

"Cid, take us to the Sealed Cave."

"I'll go ahead and get the Falcon ready!" Luca said, anxious to flee the despair-filled chamber. She turned and ran, disappearing in a blur of orange hair. Cid, Palom and Porom stared up at Cecil.

"Cecil, what is the Sealed Cave like?" Porom asked timidly. It was just now hitting her what a tall order she had taken on by promising Rosa that she would be the one to protect everyone. She wasn't afraid, but…she wasn't exactly excited, either.

"It's a horrid place," Cecil said bluntly. "Take every undead creature on Mount Ordeals and multiply it by hundreds of more years of time to fester, and that's the Sealed Cave." Porom winced while Palom pumped his fist.

"Finally, a challenge for the Mysidian Prodigy Palom! Undead monsters mean I get to test out my newly-learned Firaga spell!"

"You'll follow my instructions," Cecil shook his head. "The cave is littered with traps, and we'll need to watch our every step and not attract any unneeded attention. Understood?"

"I thought this was going to be fun…" Palom pouted, and Cid patted his shoulder.

"Don't get down – Cecil just wants to make sure nothing happens to you two. You told the Elder you would listen to him, remember?"

"I said it with my fingers crossed!" Palom pouted, and Porom sighed.

"I'll meet you three at the Falcon," Cecil said, turning away. "There's just one thing I need to check on before we go."

"Alright Cecil…we'll see you outside," Cid said, and gently coaxed Palom and Porom to turn and go with him. "Come on, kiddos...let's go help Luca."

Palom and Porom both glanced over their shoulders as they watched Cecil approach the rear of the throne room, where there had been a discreet doorway etched behind the throne. Cecil pushed it open, and found himself in the Crystal of Wind's chamber. It was identical to Damcyan's in every way, and like the Fire Crystal, the Wind Crystal was shining from above, silently shedding its light.

Cecil waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. There were no flashes of light, and no odd behavior – the chamber was completely silent, save for the sound of Cecil's unsteady breathing. In the reflections of the mirrors all around him, Cecil could see the ghosts of the figures who had been in this room with him one year prior – He was sprawled on the floor in his Dark Knight armor, covered in blood, with Kain's lance pointed to his chest. Yang and Edward were slumped at the foot of the crystal dais, knocked out by Golbez's unique brand of dark energy. Rosa was in Golbez's clutches, screaming as she tried to escape. And little Rydia, just a child and not much older than Palom and Porom were now, was frozen in the doorway, the horror of the battle before her burned into her stare. For the first time, Cecil realized that day had been a turning point in his life – nothing had ever been the same between him, Rosa and Kain again from that point on.

 _What is the connection between my dream, the monsters and the crystals? Brother…Kain…I wish one of you could tell me what it is I am not seeing…_

* * *

The intense heat of the northern Eblanese desert was beginning to relent ever so slightly with the sun's crawl toward the horizon. The doors to the completely-reconstructed castle were thrown open, and three men wandered out, all dressed similarly in layers of cloaks, leggings and leather breastplates. The leader, a tall man with silver hair that fell in his gray-blue eyes and a gray and purple cowl wrapped around his neck, stopped when he reached the bottom of the steps and turned to face the sun, shading a gloved hand over his forehead. The two men following him paused at the top of the steps, watching him warily.

They were two of the three ninja warriors that were the self-proclaimed Eblan Three, disciples of King Edge who had survived Rubicante's attack on Eblan in the war and were dedicated to not only preserving the ninja arts of Eblan, but also to Eblan's resurrection. The rebuilding of their home complete, they had begged King Edge to let them become his right-hand men and let them help support the Eblan of the future.

At first, their beloved ruler's transformation seemed too good to be true – King Edge, once an impatient, roguish prince, had made his first order of business as an orphan to slay Rubicante, the Elemental Archfiend who had destroyed their homes and murdered their families, including the King and Queen. Then he had partnered with Baron – their enemy (or so they thought at the time) – to fly to the moon itself and destroy the evil that had been controlling Rubicante and the fiends stealing the world's crystals. When Edge had returned home to them, he was in every essence, a king – demanding that the people of Eblan break free from their underground, watery prison and come together to rebuild all they had lost.

Although loyal, the Eblan Three quickly realized when the dust settled that their beloved king really had not changed much from their tempestuous Prince after all. He was still off-color, inappropriate and flighty, and that was on his better days. And even though he had now befriended all of the leading rulers of the world and had dragged secretive, isolated Eblan into the global community kicking and screaming – he still wasn't the best at diplomacy.

An example of which was playing out right before their very eyes.

"Your Highness," Zangetsu, a tall, lithe man who was old enough to be Edge's father with long, white hair slicked back in a low ponytail and tanned skin that was mostly hidden under skin-tight black tunics and leggings, crossed his arms over his chest. "We will gladly guard the castle in your stead. However…you are aware that the celebration in Damcyan ended hours ago, are you not?"

The silver-haired man barked out a laugh and looked away from the sky, placing his hands on his slender hips. His pearl earrings jingled as he shook his head.

"Well, might as well see that for myself!"

Zangetsu, and his fellow disciple, Gekkou, who was the de facto leader of the Eblan Three, looked at each other. Gekkou was good-natured and always had a smile on his face, but only would the most observant of people would notice that his eyes crinkled just a bit when he was confused or displeased with something – or someone. Gekkou was dressed in a black jumpsuit, with a long-sleeved gray tunic underneath and a flame-red scarf wrapped around his head and neck. His preference was to travel barefoot, believing that even the softest of shoes gave away a ninja's presence. His bushy brown muttonchops were his most recognizable trademark among all the other ninjas of Eblan.

"Very well, Your Highness. Be careful." Gekkou offered. When he did talk, which was not often, it was only in the kindest way he could manage depending on the situation.

"When am I ever not careful?" Edge demanded, and Gekkou laughed nervously.

"O-of course, Your Highness! I didn't mean to suggest…"

Edge laughed again and waved his hand. "That's more like it. I'll be back in a bit!" He pulled his cowl up over his face, and sprinted off toward the west.

"How did Izayoi get out of guard duty?" Zangetsu asked, speaking of the third warrior in their trio. It wasn't that he was displeased to serve Edge – but he thought it odd that they were even asked in the first place. It wasn't like Eblan had any neighboring kingdoms – in fact, they were completely isolated on their own continent, and the castle itself was surrounded by either mountains or the choppy, shoal-filled ocean, which made it impossible to reach except for by airship or via the Tower of Babil, which had been inactive since the war had ended. And the only two known entrances to the tower were either guarded by ninjitsu magic or underground – so the tower itself was nearly impenetrable.

Either Edge was up to something, or…

…No, Edge was _always_ up to something.

"Izayoi is assisting her cousin," Gekkou replied. "Lady Chisaki has been ordered to bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. It seems that the babe is going to be raring to go when he finally arrives if he is already giving her trouble."

"Lady Chisaki still thinks it's going to be a boy, eh?" Zangetsu smiled. "Tsukinowa will be the name, right? He will be a child of great power, with a name like that. I'm looking forward to meeting him – it will be good for Eblan to welcome its first child since the war ended."

* * *

Edge glanced over his shoulder. Gekkou and Zangetsu were turned toward each other, talking, and weren't paying attention to him at all. He suspected that they hadn't believed he was really going to Damcyan – after all, how was he supposed to get there? But he appreciated that they respected him enough to not question his motives – he knew there was a reason why he had allowed them to become closer to him than anyone else in the kingdom.

As Edge approached the shoreline, he thought back to the nightmare he had last night. It had been so long since he had seen Rydia, his "daydream maiden" as Seneschal mockingly called her, but in his nightmare, he saw her face as clearly as if it had only been yesterday. She had been calling to him from the top of the Tower of Babil, the wind whipping through her hair and her cloak as it carried her voice to his room in Eblan Castle. When he leaned out his window, he could see the flash of her ruby hyacinth hairpin reflecting in the moonlight, and the tower began to glow red beneath her, pulsing like a heartbeat. Even though she was miles away, Edge could see the look of fear in her eyes as the red light swallowed her, making her fade away into the black of the night.

When he had awoken that morning, he knew he had to investigate the Tower of Babil for himself – and when he glanced out the window, he swore he saw the tower briefly flash with the same red light as his dream. He went through the motions of his morning duties at the castle, and had given the impression to his disciples that he had forgotten about the festivities in Damcyan. In truth, he did partially forget one important matter – to arrange transportation to actually get him there – but that had ended up benefiting him. Now he had one less loose end to tie up. After finding a way to busy Izayoi by slipping her the not-quite-a-lie that her bed-ridden cousin needed a list of supplies from the apothecary, and putting Gekkou and Zangetsu on guard duty, he was free to go as he pleased. He felt guilty about manipulating his disciples, whom he knew would have supported him no matter what, but he also knew they would insist on coming with him, and he couldn't bear to put them in any kind of danger. His dream _could_ have meant nothing, but deep in his heart of hearts, he knew _something_ was wrong – and that Rydia was somehow involved. After witnessing the horrors of the Tower of Babil himself too many times, he wanted to keep his people as far away as possible.

Lightly leaping over the shoals, and as he gained his footing, speeding up considerably, Edge dashed across the ocean toward the Cave of Eblan, where his people had been forced to flee and had been trapped like drowning rats after Rubicante burned their kingdom to the ground. The sea spraying his legs as he ran, he glanced up the tower looming above, feeling its cold shadow wash over him. He would have loved to get an aerial view to investigate for any suspicious activity, but Eblan had no airship or any means to fly.

Edge pouted as he thought back to a few months after Cecil's coronation – Cecil had flown to Eblan and had wanted to gift the Falcon to Edge as a final peace offering for all the damage Baron had, by association with Rubicante and Golbez, inflicted upon their kingdom. But Seneschal had thrown a (private) fit – questioning how the ninjas of Eblan could possibly be stealth with such a "vulgar" flying machine and that having a powerful weapon like an airship would only draw more attention upon them. It had been difficult enough for Edge to get their kingdom to accept even a meager amount of aid from the kingdoms of his new friends – Seneschal said that the airship would go over as well as a lead balloon. Reluctantly, Edge took his advice – not even his charm could mollify a kingdom of angry ninjas – and suggested to Cecil that the Falcon go to the dwarves instead, although it secretly broke his heart to do so. For the first time, he had a small taste of the sacrifice that one had to experience as the sole ruler of a kingdom.

Leaping back onto the shore, Edge paused in front of the cavern entrance. He hadn't been back since the final refugee had been rescued and taken home to Eblan castle, and he had returned in the dead of night to erect a grave marker for his parents in the shanty town the refugees had created while they struggled to wait out the war. Since his parents' bodies had been destroyed in the Tower of Babil after being turned into chimerae by Dr. Lugae, one of Rubicante's associates, all he had been able to bury were scorched robes from his father's days as a ninja that he had found in the remains of the fire, and a crushed, tarnished ring embellished with the emblem of Eblan that that one of the surviving children had miraculously found in the fields when they were scavenging for materials to rebuild the castle.

"Sorry it's been so long, Mom and Dad," Edge whispered into the darkened cavern entrance. "I can't stay long, but…I promise when I figure out what's going on, I'll be back to tell you all about it."

* * *

 _Hmmm…the ship's been tuned real well. That Luca has promise as a shipwright,_ Cid mused.

As they neared Agart, whose mountain ranges contained the massive sinkhole that acted as the entrance to the underworld, Cecil sat upon a crate, watching the sky above them pass and slowly, steadily, darkening with the hour. He wasn't sure what time it was anymore, but he had suddenly become aware of how much a domesticated creature of habit he had become – his stomach was growling, wondering where dinner was, and he was trying to come to terms with his body that he would not be retiring to his huge, comfy bed with Rosa next to him that night – most likely, if they were lucky, they would stumble upon the safe room deep within the Sealed Cave, and set up camp there, where he would fall asleep to Cid's snoring and the twins' bickering. His mind wandered back to Rosa, wondering what she was doing now – had she been able to share a meal with Yang and the others, or was she passed out in a feverish trance? He hadn't been a night without her since they had returned home from the moon – he felt like a part of his body had been left behind in Fabul.

Princess Luca watched Cecil quietly, trying to screw up the courage to thank him once more for his willingness to come to their crystal's aid. Even though he was the same Cecil that had passed through her castle's halls many times to visit her father during the war, she was a little more intimidated by him now that he was a king. When she would sneak to Baron to help Cid with his airship maintenance, or run errands for his apprentices, she was always impressed with how seemingly everyone in the castle looked up to him and Queen Rosa. Cecil looked up at her, catching her stare, and she jumped a little.

"Um…Thank you for coming to help, Cecil!" She squealed. Cecil smiled a little, and patted the spot next to him on the crate.

"Come here, Luca. Sorry if I seem frustrated. I'm just worried about you guys – it was brave of you to come here to find help. You did the right thing."

"Really?" Luca smiled, and sat down next to him. She glanced over at Palom, wondering if he was paying attention – and to her delight, he was looking back at her even as he was talking to his sister. _A little jealousy may not hurt anything_ , Luca thought, her lips curling. She pretended not to notice Palom, and looked back up at Cecil, as if he were telling the most fascinating story in the world. "I take care of the airship all by myself, you know. It's my main responsibility."

"You're going to be a great pilot someday, if you keep it up," Cecil said. "Have you thought about joining the Red Wings?"

"Can a princess really join?" Luca asked, her eyes wide. Cecil laughed.

"A princess can do anything a prince can do – you and Ursula will be living proof of that."

"Who's Ursula?" Palom suddenly piped up, having snuck over and popping up right next to Luca.

 _Ah-ha!_ Luca thought gleefully. She ignored the nagging thought that Palom had only come over because he heard a new girl's name fall from someone's lips.

"Oh, that's right!" Cecil stood up, so that his voice would carry to Cid and Porom, who were near the front of the ship. "While we were in Fabul…Queen Sheila gave birth to a baby girl – her name is Princess Ursula."

"What!?" Porom shrieked. "There was a baby!? I LOVE BABIES!"

"Aye, they sure managed to keep that cat in the bag!" Cid exclaimed. "And let me guess – you an' Rosa are the godparents, eh Cecil?"

"Yeah," Cecil blushed, and couldn't help but smile more. "They sprung it on us, but there was no way I could say no. I mean, whoever thought someone would ask _me_ to be a godfather?"

"Definitely not I," Cid guffawed. "Although I can't say I foresaw even half of the stuff that's happened to you at this point."

"Do you think they'll let us see the baby when we get back?" Porom gasped. "What does she look like? How big is she? What color are her eyes? Is Yang going to carry her on his back while he trains? Ahhh…!"

"Calm down, spaz," Palom groaned. "It's _just_ a baby. People have them every day."

"You'll understand when you're older, kid," Cid laughed. "Adults get excited about what you think are mundane things. Early bedtimes, falling in love, babies…it's not all kicking evil's rear and saving the world."

"I'm never going to be like that," Palom shrugged. "When I become a sage, I'm always going to be on a crazy adventure. I won't have time for any of that stuff – especially love." He made a retching sound, and Luca's face fell a little. She stared down at the polished wood floor of the ship, frowning at her blurry reflection.

Porom cut a glance at Luca, and frowned. Sometimes, her brother could crest a new level of idiocy. She decided to steer the conversation to a less polarizing subject.

"So…Rydia and Edge never made it to Damcyan…You don't think anything could've happened to them, do you?"

Cecil pressed his lips together. _They had never shown? That was troubling…_

"Um…" Luca looked back up. "That's weird. Because Rydia told me how excited she was about going. She was going to ride Bahamut to the surface and everything."

"Has anything else happened in the underworld lately that's been odd?" Cecil asked, and Luca shook her head.

"No, not at all…and I only just talked to her a few days ago. She wouldn't have changed her mind. My father's men estimated that the monsters started breaking out of the Sealed Cave early this morning. We had no trouble prior to that."

Cecil looked back up the sky as it became swallowed in the darkness of the underworld; the Falcon was beginning to make her descent. _That's when I would have had my dream…_

Once they had breached the underworld proper, Cid steered them south toward the Sealed Cave. Luca gazed out anxiously as they flew over her home, King Giott's castle – the few tanks they had left that had not been scrapped were rolling out, already blasting their cannons at monsters that had managed to breach the magma shore. She knew that her father's warriors would be fine defending the castle – but they would eventually tire and fall if they could not quell the source of the rampage. Palom and Porom were leaning over the railing over the Falcon, flabbergasted by the inverse world that was unrolling beneath them – there were no oceans, no blue sky, no green hills or purple mountains – everything was rust-red or black, and the blinding glow of the yellow magma that the dwarves called their sun made their eyes hurt. How a world like this could have existed beneath them this entire time they had been alive made Porom realize she knew far less about their planet than she thought she had.

When they landed, the dwarves who had accompanied Luca briefed Cecil, Cid and the twins on the situation.

"Several of King Giott's soldiers are down there already, securing what areas they can. More than anything, we just need to ensure the crystal is still safe. It shouldn't need to be removed from the dais if we can take out whatever the threat is that made the monsters go berserk in the first place."

"Understood," Cecil nodded. "Cid, Palom, Porom and I will head in. Luca, you stay here on the Falcon. If it gets bad, I want you to run away – do you understand? Don't come for us. Go straight back to the castle."

"Cecil…" Luca whimpered, but Palom turned to her and gave her a wink.

"Come on Luca, don't write us off already – it's gonna be fine. I need you to inscribe in your history books that it is the great Sage-in-Training Palom that saved Giott's kingdom – and the princess, of course. I'll need you to give me a tour of the underworld when this is all over."

Luca broke into a wide smile, nodding. "Right!"

Porom looked up at the dying rotors of the airship. Boy, her brother sure could turn on the charm when it benefited him. It was fascinating and horrifying all at the same time to witness.

"That's the spirit!" Cid slapped Palom on the back so hard that he nearly toppled over. "Cecil, you'll be our tour guide, eh? Let's get this over with so we can get back to partying!"

They descended the airship's ramp, Cecil leading the way through the cavern entrance. Sure enough, the marble doors he had remembered being sealed shut until they had draped Luca's necklace over the skeleton that had been guarding the door were both blown open, and it was clear based on the scratch marks etched deep on the interior side of the doors that a powerful force had torn through. The skeleton that had acted as the keyhole for Luca's necklace was trampled over, its head several feet away and crushed to pieces.

Porom tried not to scream as the light from the skull torches in the entryway made shadows jump all over, making it seem as if a monster were about to pounce on them. When she unconsciously reached for her brother's hand, she was shocked that he grasped it back, squeezing tightly.

Passing through the marble doors, Cecil led the party to the edge of the precipice they were on that was seemingly floating in the darkness, pointing to the depths below. Dozens of rock formations could be gleaned below – all rising in different heights from the bubbling ocean of magma that was being fed by the gushing reserves running down the cavern walls around them.

"The crystal is near the bottom," Cecil explained, moving his finger southwest, where a large, but barely discernible drawbridge was draping across a large gap between another rocky platform and a solid wall. Cecil knew that within the wall, there had been trap doors that lead to the crystal chamber – and beyond that, oblivion. However, they had destroyed the trap upon during their original visit – Rydia obliterating it by summoning the god of the seas, Leviathan – so it was at least one thing they would not have to worry about this time around.

"And how are we supposed to get down there?" Palom huffed.

"With these," Cecil kneeled down and picked up a rope that had been tied around a stake driven into the rocks at their feet. "You'll find that most of the bridges we'll encounter are rotten, or destroyed – we'll be climbing for the majority of the night."

"The kids can ride on our backs as we climb," Cid offered, seeing the look of trepidation on Palom and Porom's faces. "It should go faster that way, too."

"HELP, LALI!" A strangled voice cried in the darkness.

Their eyes averted from the rope in Cecil's hand to the platform below them several yards to their left. A pair of dwarves, who were surrounded by the freshly-slain bodies of a Vampiress and her army of Blood Bats, had been taken by surprise by a tall, flat creature that was hopping toward them menacingly, made out of cracked and rotting wooden planks that had a variety of rusted weapons sticking out of it. Baring its crimson teeth that ran from end-to-end of its crooked slash of a mouth, Cecil realized it could have been only one thing – one of the monster trap doors that guarded all of the chambers within the Sealed Cave. Cecil and the others had not disabled them all in their first pass through – each encounter was so dangerous that it was a fool's errand to attempt, so they had only slain the ones they had to pass through to reach the crystal.

But the dwarves weren't anywhere near a doorway, so he suspected that all of the doors had broken free on their own volition, thanks to whatever had spooked the monsters in the first place.

"Hurry!" Cecil cried, kneeling down. Palom threw himself on Cecil's back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and nearly smacking him in the head with his rod. Porom scrambled up Cid's back, and Cecil climbed down the rope first, with a little more recklessness than he would have normally liked. Palom twisted around while he was on Cecil's back and thrust his rod in the Trap Door's direction, muttering a Firaga spell. A pulsing globe of fire descended on the door, and the dwarves scrambled for cover as it exploded, drowning the monster in flames. But as the smoke cleared, the Trap Door was still standing, tufts of fire burning out as it re-focused its blood-red glare on the dwarves and began to glow with an eerie yellow aura.

"That should have finished it!" Palom hissed as Cecil finally reached the next level, dropping his feet on solid ground.

"It's casting a spell!" Porom gasped from Cid's back, who was right behind them, dangling on the rope. "Run away!"

But the dwarves were petrified, and there was nowhere else to go except over the edge. Porom's staff flashed, and a ribbon of rainbow light embraced the dwarves right as the Trap Door cast its spell. A ghostly blue flame tried to engulf them, but it was reflected away by her magic and thrown right back at the monster. The blue flames licked up the rotten wood, causing it to decompose before their eyes and instantly transform the Trap Door into a pile of smoking ashes.

"As I suspected," Porom said as Cid's feet hit the ground, and she dropped from his back, using her staff to steady herself. "A variation of the Death spell. For a monster to know arcane black magic such as that…we really are in a place of evil."

"That was fast thinking, Porom," Cecil said, and Palom pinched his shoulder. "Yeowch…! You did good too, Palom."

"Thanks!" Palom released Cecil and slid to the ground, and Cecil grimaced as he massaged his shoulder.

"Thanks so much, lali-ho!" One of the dwarves exclaimed, pulling himself up to his feet and reaching down to help his partner.

"We have men deeper in the cavern…we may have been the first to see anything like that, though!" The other dwarf frowned. "We had been careful to only go through the doors that were already open – that one was a surprise attack."

"We'll make sure everyone else is OK," Cecil said. "How's it going, otherwise?"

"We've been able to stop any more monsters from making it out of the cave – they have been slowing down. But there is definitely a powerful aura surrounding the crystal room. We…we're afraid to get any closer – we think there is another trap."

"Another trap?" Cecil blinked. "But there was only one trap guarding the crystal room that we destroyed when we were here, and it didn't even trigger until we had attempted to leave with the crystal."

"But couldn't that mean there is someone already in the crystal chamber then?" Cid asked warily, and Cecil pressed his lips in a straight line.

 _Damnation…of course that's what it means. And that someone is what set off this chain reaction – I am sure of it. If I were to stake my life on it, I'd also say they were the voice who visited me in my dreams last night._

"We're standing guard here – we won't let anyone – or anything – get past us with the crystal!" The dwarves declared. "King Cecil – will you still try to enter the chamber yourself?"

"Of course," Cecil frowned. "We'll report back as soon as possible." Who in the world could be waiting for them in the crystal chamber? He had a cold, twisting feeling in his stomach as he tried to recall his dream – all he remembered was green, like the scales of a dragon.

 _…Or like the armor of a Dragoon Knight who had seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet?_

"Now that we know how to kill the Trap Doors, they should no longer present a problem, either," Porom smiled. She suddenly felt a lot better – if it was just another Trap Door guarding the crystal, she would show it who was boss. She paid no mind to the concern that had settled into Cecil's features.

"You should be on healing duty," Palom pouted. "It's not fair. When am I going to be able to show off?"

* * *

As they delved deeper into the cave, they crossed paths with other dwarves who gave similar reports – the monsters were still coming at them, but not as aggressively – and that disturbing grinding noises and random falling debris in the chamber that led to the crystal made them believe something was awaiting them there. Luckily, they encountered no one who needed further assistance, like the first pair of dwarves – but plenty more rogue Trap Doors cut in the path, with Porom making quick work of them. When other monsters had the misfortune of coming upon them, Palom exterminated them with his magic before Cecil or Cid could lift their weapons.

The two adults, who were walking a few paces ahead of the twins when they weren't climbing down ropes, were mostly silent for the remainder of the hike. Cid had remembered hearing from the dwarves while he was laid up in their hospital that Cecil and Kain, Rosa, Rydia and Edge had braved the Sealed Cave to rescue the eighth and final crystal before Golbez could force his way in and take it for himself. But when they had returned to Giott's castle, they were empty-handed and injured, and Kain had disappeared. It was obvious what had happened, so Cid never actually asked Cecil about it. Even now, Cid could see that something was haunting Cecil's gaze – he had been staring straight ahead the entire time they had been walking, but Cid didn't think he was actually paying attention to their path – he was moving mechanically, by muscle memory.

Cid worried about Cecil – the same way he did about Amelia, Rosa, and Kain, when he had been around. When Cecil had come home to Baron for good, but before he had been crowned King, they had spent an evening together at Cid's house, eating a homecoming dinner Amelia had cooked for them and reorganizing Cid's massive library of books late into the night. Long after Amelia had fallen asleep, Cecil had told Cid the painful truths he had learned on the moon – he was only half-human, his father being of a race called the Lunarians, people who had had their home planet destroyed and fled to the Blue Planet as refugees. Because the Lunarians been so much further evolved than the humans of the Blue Planet, they created what would become the Blue Planet's second moon and slept until the day their races could live together as equals.

However, Cecil's father, Kluya, had been a man of science and dreamt of the wonders of the Blue Planet, forgoing his sleep to sneak away and learn more about its people and to share his gifts with them – including magic and the research that would later lead to Cid himself inventing the world's first airship in Baron's name. It had given Cid chills to learn that he had potentially met Cecil's father at one point – but it had been so long ago, and he had no memory of what had to him just been a random encounter when he was visiting a nearby village as a young man to talk aviation.

Kluya had fallen in love with Cecilia, Cecil's human mother, but their union was ill-fated. Ten years after Cecilia had given birth to her and Kluya's first son, Theodor, she fell pregnant with Cecil, but died from heart failure spurred by witnessing Kluya's murder by jealous villagers, her condition exacerbated by Cecil's early labor. Theodor fled in fear, abandoning his hours-old infant brother at Baron Castle's doorstep with the intention of never seeing him again, blaming him for Cecilia's death.

Cecil hadn't known all of the details of his family when he and Cid first talked that night – he had known his parents names and had met Kluya's Lunarian brother, his Uncle Fusoya, on the moon. He had not known Theodor's true name – only the name Theodor had given himself when he had abandoned Cecil – _Golbez_. Golbez had risen in the shadows, quietly developing a powerful army and a clever plan that would allow him to acquire the world's crystals through extended warfare, using Baron as the catalyst, and open a pathway to their planet's destruction. When Cecil had explained to Cid that it had been his own blood brother that he had been fighting and hating all along, Cid saw, for the first time in his life, Cecil in a truly heartbroken state.

Cid vowed to help Cecil find what closure he could for his family's tortured history – he scoured Baron's archives for evidence that pointed Cecil in the direction of Kluya's village, long annexed by Baron and abandoned by its residents to live in Baron proper; Where Cecil had been born and where his older brother had been raised for ten years. It had been there that Cecil discovered his brother's name was Theodor, not Golbez, and where he had found his parents' final resting place.

It had seemed to Cid that Cecil had made peace with his past after that. The moon that Fusoya and Golbez, who had refused to return to the Blue Planet after awakening from Zemus's hateful trance, slept within had escaped the Blue Planet's orbit – taking along with it the constant reminder of all that Cecil had lost before he was even an hour old. When Cecil told Cid that he had asked Rosa to marry him, Cid had thought for sure that at last, his "son" was coming into the good fortune he had always deserved, and that he would finally know peace along with the rest of the planet.

But then Kain had disappeared…and Cid could see how his absence broke both Cecil and Rosa's hearts. At first, Cid had tried to do everything he could – he scoured the planet along with the Red Wings to search for Kain, following up on every ridiculous rumor he came across, but to no avail. He even had Amelia doing some spying for him while she was in Kaipo, and asked Luca to keep an eye out in the underworld in exchange for giving her flying lessons. As time went on and everyone's efforts dwindled, Cecil seemed to be healing…but then Cid would catch him in moments like this, where he knew Cecil was being overwhelmed by a powerful memory of the past, and he'd be at a loss of what to do.

"Do you want to take a break?" Cid asked. They had walked past a chamber that looked as if it were being used for camping – a few dwarves were gathered around a fire, and had waved to Cecil, but he had not seen them. Cecil shook his head.

"The crystal is not far from here. I…I have to see who is waiting for us."

"How do you know it is a "who" and not a "what"?" Cid cocked his head. "Is something on your mind, Cecil?"

Cecil frowned. "Do you remember how I told you I had a dream this morning, and that's why I was late? I think it's related to that."

Cid looked away. Ever since Cecil had also awoken to his true identity as a half-Lunarian, he had also confided to Cid that he had the unfortunate ability to dream of premonitions.

"Are you kids OK?" Cid called back to the twins. They were whispering to each other and getting along for once, and looked up, identical grins plastered on their faces.

"Never better," Palom smirked, and Cid noticed that he and Porom had quickly intertwined their hands together.

"What are you up to?" Cid asked suspiciously, and Porom waved her free hand.

"It's nothing, Master Cid. Just passing the time. This cave is not as troublesome as Cecil made it out to be. You were just trying to scare Palom straight, right Cecil?"

But Cecil didn't reply. They had reached the lengthy, ancient bridge he had first pointed out to them when they had entered the cave hours ago. They were closer than ever to the magma below, but it was still a far enough drop that you would plunge through darkness before reaching it. On the other side of the bridge, were the marble doors that led to the crystal chamber – closed tightly shut.

A large rock smashed into the wall to their left as it cascaded down from the now-faraway ceiling and went plummeting into the magma below. The grinding sound the dwarves had warned them about was reverberating all around them in the chamber, so Cecil couldn't quite tell where it was originating from.

"We must cross the bridge single-file," Cecil explained. "Palom, if any monsters come at us, I'm counting on you to pick them off before they get too close. It will be dangerous for Cid or me to use our weapons and shake the bridge too much."

"Yes sir!" Palom grinned. "Now we're talking."

Cecil took point, taking the bridge one step at a time and occasionally looking back to make sure Cid and the twins were holding up. Cid was sweating bullets, reaching up to push his steamed-up goggles on his forehead so he could see better. Palom and Porom were strolling leisurely as if they were on a promenade in the town square. It had never failed to amaze Cecil how resilient those two were.

Just when Cecil had nearly reached the end of the bridge, a heart-sinking lunging motion made him lose his footing and nearly trip forward, but he managed to catch himself just in time. Cid cried out behind him, and Palom and Porom let out identical squeals.

 _What the hell?!_ Cecil looked up, seeing that the crystal room door was suddenly _a lot_ closer, and that dust and rocks were raining down from the ceiling above. Had the bridge gotten…shorter?

"What is that, Cecil!?" Porom cried. There was another violent jerking motion, and Cecil felt Cid's hand grasp his shoulder for balance, while the twins screamed. More rocks fell from above, and Cecil realized they were now close enough to be struck, chanting a Protect spell just in time for them to bounce off the party and into the magma below. Cecil quickly glanced back at the others, and saw that the bridge was still the same length as before.

So it hadn't been getting shorter – the wall in front of them containing the crystal chamber doors was getting _closer_.

There was a gleam of light, and a massive marble wall generated before them, blocking the entryway to the crystal chamber and filling the length and depth of the strip of land so that there was no way to dash from the bridge to get behind it. Embedded in the wall was a familiar, but unsettling sight – the same demon Cecil, Kain, Rosa, Rydia and Edge had to fight once before, when they were fleeing with the crystal. The demon took the form of a half-human, half-lizard hybrid, with its rib cage thrusting out of the marble and its arms still sealed within, only lengthy claws the size of a grown man extending forward and swiping at the air. Its head, which was a skull that appeared to have thin layer of scales stretched over it, had slits for nostrils and wide, gaping empty sockets where its eyes once were. Two rows of razor, arrowhead teeth were gnashing with impatience, and its neck was sticking far enough out from the wall that it could swivel its head somewhat independently, spitting putrid black liquid as it howled.

As it clawed at the air, the wall began to drag ever closer, one inch at a time.

"Th-the wall is coming at us!?" Cid gasped.

"All right!" Palom exclaimed. "Looks like we'll finally have a foe worthy of the future sage Palom!"

 _Damn it!_ Cecil shook his head. _The trap can reset itself? But how, when Rydia destroyed it…? Why do events from a year prior keep repeating?_

"Stand back, everyone!" Porom cried. "We've got this!" She and Palom pushed ahead of Cecil and Cid, approaching the wall, and they both held out their hands in the air, closing their eyes.

"WAIT!" Cecil shouted. "Whatever you're going to do…don't do it!" His mind flashed back to the antechamber of Baron's throne room, where the Elemental Archfiend of Water, Cagnazzo, had lured Cecil, Yang, Tellah, Cid and the twins into a trap, cursing the walls of the room to close in on them and crush them to death with his dying breath. The twins had turned themselves to stone, stopping the walls and letting the others escape, unharmed. Cecil had thought the spell had destroyed them, but their Elder had been able to reverse the powerful spell and restore them. But this was an entirely different situation – there was no way the Elder would survive a trip to the Sealed Cave to revive the twins this time, and it would only be a matter of time before the bridge collapsed under their weight and plunged them into the magma below.

Palom and Porom ignored Cecil's command, Palom's left hand clasping Porom's right. Their bodies began to glow with an ominous red aura, and for the first time, Cecil noticed the golden bands wrapped around each of their ring fingers, each set with a simple gold star. Just as the Demon Wall had gotten close enough to swipe at the twins and knock them off the bridge, their eyes snapped open simultaneously, and the rings on their fingers flashed with a brilliant light that blinded Cecil and Cid.

"Twin Meteor!"

A thunderous "BOOM" ripped through the air above them, and the sound of thousands of meteors, sparkling like shooting stars, whistled from behind the party and started to shower upon the wall, knocking large chunks out of it and poking holes through its foundation like Swiss cheese. One meteor slammed into the Demon Wall's skull, sending a massive crack up through the middle of the wall and causing it to nearly split in half. The dust of the destroyed marble rose in the air and mingled with the smoke trailing from the flames of the meteors, forcing Cecil and Cid to take cover with their arms and cough through the onslaught.

When the last meteor had struck, and silence returned to the air, they saw that the wall had been decimated into hundreds of chunks of rubble before them, with more yet unseen that had fallen over the edge into the magma. Palom and Porom lowered their hands, struggling to catch their breath but both grinning wickedly. They turned to face Cecil and Cid.

"So, what do you think? Pretty cool spell, huh?" Palom winked.

"I've seen that spell before…" Cecil shook his head. "When Golbez and Fusoya…"

"Right! It's a Twincast spell!" Porom nodded. "But Palom doesn't know Meteor yet, and I cannot cast it as a white mage…so we had to improvise. We've been working on this project back home…" She pulled off her star ring and held it out. Cecil took it from her, turning it in his fingers. It was just a regular child's ring, so small that it would only fit on his pinky. It was warm to the touch.

"Porom and I have figured out how to bless objects with the very essence of magic itself," Palom explained. "And it turns out, you can bless them with magic spells you don't even know…it all relies on the Wisdom and Intelligence of the bearer. If you have high Wisdom, it's easier to cast white magic. If you have high Intelligence, it's easier to cast black magic. And if you have an abundance of both…well, you can pretty much do whatever you want. So we made identical objects and combined our powers."

"But it's kind of top secret, so don't tell anyone, OK?" Porom giggled. "This was our first test run."

"What?!" Cid bellowed. "You mean to tell me nothing might have happened and we'd all be eating magma right now!?"

"Don't think of it that way," Palom smirked. "Think of it as having a front-row seat to one of the most exciting magical discoveries of our time! It worked, and that's all the matters. No point in wallowing in "what-ifs"."

Cecil handed the ring back to Porom, shaking his head with a small smile on his lips. "Once again, Cid and I are in your debt. Thank you."

"Cecil!" Cid raised his fist. "Don't encourage such recklessness! As a godfather to an impressionable young lady now, you have to be a voice of reason!"

"And as a father, you should know that sometimes kids will be kids, even six-year old magical geniuses," Cecil gently tugged on Porom's ponytail, and she laughed. But the giddiness of managing to stay alive despite impossible odds was starting to wear off – they still needed to uncover what was waiting for them in the crystal chamber. _And if it was Kain…_ well, Cecil hadn't figured out what he was going to do if that were the case.

Cecil started to climb over the rubble, his heart rate climbing up as he approached the crystal chamber doors. Pressing his palms into them, he gave a hard shove, and let out a gasp for air. They weren't budging – it was as if they hadn't been opened in a long time.

If the doors had not been opened – could someone really be inside?

Cid clambered over to help, muttering about his blood pressure as he shoved his shoulder into one door, with Cecil pushing back against the other using the strength of his legs. Finally, the doors creaked open, and the warm light of the Crystal of Darkness washed over them, pouring over the rubble of the Demon Wall and making it sparkle.

The crystal itself was perfectly safe – it was floating peacefully above its dais, oblivious to the chaos that had been occurring only feet away beyond the chamber's threshold.

It had been the still body beneath it that had caught Cecil's eye – it belonged to a young woman with green hair that was spilled out over the dais, with tattered clothes hanging from her frame, and a cracked red hyacinth jeweled hairpin catching the light of the crystal as it silently shed its light above her. Cecil's breath caught in his throat as he ran toward her, pulling her into his arms and pressing his fingers to her wrist.

"Rydia!?"


	4. Dream Four: Reunion

Dream Four: Reunion

"What's she doin' here?" Cid gasped. The twins stumbled in behind them, grumbling about being left behind to climb through the rubble themselves. Palom paused when he saw Rydia, and Porom covered her mouth in shock.

"What a girl. She can even sleep in a place like this?" Palom blinked. Porom dropped her hand from her mouth and used it to smack Palom upside his head.

"She's not sleeping, you fool!" Porom barked.

The twins' bickering caused Rydia to stir, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking up at Cecil. For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of recognizance flash in her eyes, but it quickly dulled and she closed her eyes again, moaning.

"Rydia…can you hear me?" Cecil asked. She stirred in his arms, and weakly pushed him away, slowly hauling herself to her feet and looking around in confusion, her hand absent-mindedly rubbing the back of her head from where she had struck it on the dais. Her gaze first lingered on Palom, then Porom, then Cid, and finally fell on Cecil again, whose eyes were intensely focused on her own. She winced at the piercing blue, which was only intensified by the crystal's light above them, and looked away.

"Where am I…?" She whispered. The straps of her tunic had fallen dangerously low to the point of near-exposure, and she only just seemed to notice, unabashedly sliding them back up with nary a blush.

"You're in the Sealed Cave," Cecil said slowly, taking a hesitant step forward. "Why didn't you come to Damcyan like you were supposed to?"

Rydia's hand had drifted to her hairpin. She pulled it out of her hair, inspected the damage – the cracked petal was dangling in place and only holding on by the mercy of a bent prong – and snapped it off, thoughtlessly tossing it aside. The ruby clattered against the mirrored floor as she slid the pin back in her hair.

"I…must go…"

She pushed Cecil away, slowly making her way down the steps, as if each one took a concentrated effort. Porom stepped up to her, giving a quick bow since Lady Rydia was technically an acquaintance and not a close friend – she wasn't going to stop using good manners just because she had entered some sort of bizarre underworld twilight zone.

"You don't look too good, Rydia," Porom said. "Do you need a healing spell?" She cut a glance over to Rydia's pouch, which was precariously hanging from her waist and soaking wet – meaning any potions inside had probably been crushed when she fell. Rydia merely looked at Porom like one would look at a mess they had stepped in with their shoe.

"No point in dallying here," Cid said quickly as Porom blushed with embarrassment. He looked up at Cecil, who was still staring at Rydia in shock. "Let's take her back to the Falcon."

Cecil nodded, snapping out of his trance. "Oh…Yes. At once." Cid was right – questions could wait for later. _And he had a lot of them._

"Porom, let's try to Teleport," Palom touched his sister's shoulder. He was furious that Rydia had brushed off Porom's efforts to be helpful and was tempted to light the remains of her raggedy cape on fire. No one could be mean to his twin sister except him, not even a gorgeous babe!

"That might not work…" Cecil began, remembering what had happened the last time they had tried to use a Teleport spell to flee the Sealed Cave. The cave's traps had disabled any kind of magic that would have allowed them to escape. But Porom merely nodded, muttering the spell. In a flash of light, the scenery around them disappeared, and was replaced with the entrance to the cavern.

"Holy…gah!" Cecil stumbled forward as he was dropped to the floor, the room spinning around him. Cid was trying not to spill his long-ago royal luncheon, and Palom was just fine, since he had been holding Porom's hand. Rydia began to exit the cave, seemingly unfazed by their sudden trip, and having greatly recovered her equilibrium.

"Rydia!?" Cecil called, and she looked back at him, a flash of urgency in her eyes.

"They're…calling me…"

"Who's…?" Porom trailed off, and Palom finished her thought.

"…"They"?"

Rydia glanced over at the twins, but said nothing. Cid had recovered and walked up to Rydia, getting right in her face.

"What is going on in your head, girl!?" She blinked, crossing her arms over her chest impatiently.

"Let's get her out of here," Cecil shook his head and plowed ahead, grabbing Rydia's wrist and dragging her outside. She didn't resist, letting him pull her along listlessly.

Back on the Falcon, Luca jumped up when she saw Rydia, squealing in delight.

"Rydia!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around her. But when Rydia didn't respond, Luca pulled back confusedly, took a long look at her tattered clothes, and looked up at Cecil with wide eyes. "Why is she here?"

"We found her unconscious in front of the crystal's altar…"

Rydia walked over to the bow of the Falcon, peering out to the north. Cecil followed her gaze, and saw that she was staring at the Tower of Babil. The silver and ivory tower, which normally just reflected the light of the magma that surrounded it, suddenly flashed a blood red color, and faded back to normal. Rydia pointed toward the tower, nodding.

"See? They're calling…"

"Did you see that!?" Palom cried.

"I did," Cecil said dryly. _Something really bizarre is going on here._ Rydia leaned over the railing of the ship, closing her eyes and lifting one foot of the deck, like she was about to take flight.

"See what!? I didn't see anything!" Cid protested. Porom tapped her eyes, where Cid's goggles would be, as they had fogged up again. Cid sheepishly pushed them back up on his forehead.

"The Tower of Babil just shone for a moment…" Porom explained, her voice shaking.

"The Tower of Babil…" Rydia nodded, looking back over at the group. Luca reached up, nervously twisting her pearl necklace between her fingers. She didn't know why, but she felt terrified.

"Rydia…!"

"Listen, everyone," Cecil frowned. "I think we need to investigate the Tower of Babil…but we should get some rest, first. Everyone..." He glanced over at Rydia, who was staring at them, and then looked back at Cid, the twins, and Luca, "…is probably exhausted, and we shouldn't go to a place like that without a full night of sleep to keep our wits about us."

"Should we sleep on the Falcon so we can make sure the dwarves still in the cave don't need us?" Luca asked. Cecil nodded.

"Of course. We'll debrief in the hold and sleep there. Can someone take shifts watching for the other dwarves?"

"Aye aye, Lali!" Luca's bodyguards all saluted, knocking their boots together. "We'll stand guard tonight!"

"Thank you!" Luca cried, kneeling into a half-curtsey. "I'm sorry for the trouble I put everyone through today…"

"Don't apologize, Princess," one of the dwarves smiled. "It's our pleasure serving the Her Highness."

Cecil walked over to Rydia, taking her arm.

"We'll go to the Tower of Babil tomorrow. We must get some rest first – it's going to be dangerous." To his surprise, Rydia nodded, and she let him guide her below the Falcon's deck into the hold with the others following. In the berth, Luca scrambled to pull together a paltry dinner from the ship's stores, and Cecil sat in one bunk, with Cid above him, and the twins in their own set of bunks. Rydia sat in a bunk by herself, curling up into a ball and watching the others like a cat stalking her prey. Once Luca had found enough to eat, she passed the provisions out to everyone, and took her place next to Rydia.

"So what did you find, Cecil?" Luca asked. "Were the dwarves OK?"

"Everyone was fine," Cecil said. "They were doing a good job with the monsters, and we did not run into many more ourselves. We had to disable the cave's traps to reach the crystal again, though." Luca widened her eyes, and Palom laughed. He was lying on his stomach and kicking his feet.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just a few explosions and we were set."

"Oh, thank goodness," Luca smiled, and Porom gave Palom a look that said _"Really?"_

"Anyway…" Cecil continued, biting into the food Luca had found. "…When we finally reached the crystal chamber, we found that nothing was disturbed – nothing had tried to harm or remove the crystal. But…" He looked over at Rydia, who was still staring, "…We found Rydia, passed out on the dais. Rydia, do you remember what happened? How did you get inside when the doors were still so tightly sealed?"

Rydia shook her head. She hadn't touched the food Luca had handed her – it was still clutched in her pale fingers. "I don't remember anything…just that someone was calling my name…when I woke up, you were there… _Cecil_." She said his name almost tenderly.

Cecil softened a little – finally, she was starting to come around to them again. Something horrible must have happened to her to make her act so cold and distant – it was no wonder she was just drifting about. Her mind had probably blocked it out for her own sanity. "Do you remember anything that happened before waking up? Were you getting ready for Damcyan, or anything like that? Do you remember seeing anyone we know? Or even a stranger?" _Somebody else had to have been in the crystal room with her, or lured her there…there had been no way Rydia just being there by herself had made the monsters go berserk enough to stampede out in droves. She's been in the Sealed Cave before, and nothing like that ever happened._

Rydia paused for a moment, and then pressed her lips together. "Wasn't I talking to you, Cecil? I remember your voice. That's _all_ I remember."

Cecil shook his head, confused, as everyone turned to stare at him, and then back to Rydia.

"Rydia, we haven't seen each other since my wedding. I've been with our friends all day today – and prior to that, I've been in Baron, with Rosa and Cid…" He trailed off. _There was no point in going on_ , he realized. Rydia wasn't going to tell them anything, at least not tonight. There was something seriously wrong with her mental state – but he had no idea who could have hurt her. The empty crystal chamber along with the dwindling monsters surely meant that their culprit had already made a getaway, although Cecil was still not sure of what they were trying to achieve with Rydia in the first place.

"Perhaps we should get some rest," Cid offered, sensing the frustration that had been bubbling up in the room. "Everyone's had a long day. Rydia – it may be that whoever is callin' to you from the Tower of Babil was the person who led you to the Sealed Cave's crystal room." Rydia nodded thoughtfully at this, and looked down at her lap.

"A good idea, Master Cid," Porom yawned. Palom was already passed out face-down in his pillow, gurgling into it. Luca stood up from the bunk she was sitting in with Rydia.

"I'll sleep on the top bunk, ok Rydia?" She smiled. Rydia smiled back, but there was no light behind it. Luca nodded awkwardly, and turned to climb the ladder, pulling herself into her bunk and hurriedly throwing the covers over her body, turning her back to everyone. Cecil stood up, reaching over to the oil lamp that had been hanging from the wall and turning the dial to retract the wick, the flame burning out and filling the room with darkness.

"Good night, Cecil," Porom said softly.

"Good night everyone," Cecil said, and crawled into bed, suddenly feeling as if his limbs weighed a ton each. He closed his eyes, and in an effort to will sleep to come, tried to picture Rosa back on the surface – he imagined her back in their bedchamber in Baron, her golden hair splayed over their pillows, shining in the moonlight. She always fell asleep first, and his body would take a cue from hers and let her steady breath in his ear lure him to sleep – tonight, the silence of the space in bed next to him was as disruptive as an explosion rocking the ship.

When his eyes snapped back open, the room was still dark, but Cecil could feel someone's stare on him. Turning slowly from where he had rolled over in his sleep to face the wall, he nearly shouted out when he saw Rydia kneeling next to his bed, her eyes wide and a secretive smile curled on her lips. She pressed her finger to her mouth, and leaned in, whispering.

"Cecil?"

"W-What is it, Rydia?" Cecil hissed. "Is something wrong? Are the dwarves in trouble?"

"I just thought you should know…I've been in her dreams."

"Whose dreams?"

An icy giggle followed. " _Rosa's_ …"

"What about Rosa?" Cecil leaned in closer. Rydia had gotten his full attention, and she knew it. She pressed her fingers together, narrowing her eyes.

"She dreams of such darkness for a maiden of light…it's intriguing."

Cecil clenched the sheets with his fingers, trying not to give away his irritation. Never in his life had he wanted so badly to smother someone with a pillow. _What the hell was she talking about?_

"Rydia…how exactly would you know something like that? You need to go back to bed – right now."

Rydia smiled wider, pushing herself up from her position on the floor.

"Even if I told you how, you would not comprehend it."

* * *

Cecil shot up in bed, his heart racing as he tried to recall where he was. He recognized the Falcon's berth and the messy bunks where his friends had been sleeping. Most of the other bunks were empty, save for Palom's. He was still snoring away, dead to the world. Someone had turned the oil lamp back on, setting it to only a half-glow.

He groaned and pushed his fingers through his hair, clenching his eyes shut. He had no idea what had been a dream last night and what had been real-life. He could swear that Rydia had awoken him in the middle of the night to blather nonsense. But the idea of it was so ridiculous – he knew that Rydia had strange, prophetic dreams like he occasionally had – it came with the territory of being a summoner, as his came with having Lunarian blood – but she had never been able to walk in someone else's dreams, as far as he knew.

 _It had to have been a delusion_ , Cecil sighed. _I miss Rosa, and Rydia is seriously disturbed. It's no wonder I had a strange dream about the two of them._ Besides, the voice in his dream had been distant and belittling – that wasn't how gentle Rydia talked to anyone. She would never tell Cecil that he was not able to _"comprehend"_ something.

But he felt like he had heard something similar though, all too recently… _if only he could remember_.

"Palom, are you awake yet?"

Porom had walked back into the room, and blinked in surprise when she saw Cecil doubled-over in bed, his head in his hands.

"Cecil!? Is everything OK?"

"Porom…" Cecil lifted his head. "Sorry, just…recovering from a weird dream."

"Shut up you two! I am _trying to sleep_!"

"And the little prince is up," Porom sneered, and reached down, pulling off a leather bootie. She tossed it into the bunk, smacking him in the back of the head.

"OUCH!" Palom groaned into his pillow, but didn't move.

"We're taking off soon, so you'd best be ready!" Porom shouted at Palom. Turning toward Cecil, she reverted back to her usual cheerful self. "Please take your time, Cecil. Luca says it's about mid-morning."

"What the hell?" Palom whined, his voice still muffled. "Why are you so nice to everyone but me?"

Cecil tried not to laugh – he would really try to take Cid's advice more seriously about not encouraging children to do naughty things – although a laugh was something he sorely needed after a day like yesterday. He got out of bed, and reached up to Palom's bunk, retrieving Porom's bootie and handing it back to her.

"Let's go upstairs and see what everyone is up to," Cecil offered a half-smile, and Porom nodded, slipping the bootie back on and skipping out of the room. Palom cursed into the pillow, and his hand flew up from under the cover to make a very rude gesture.

On the upper deck, Cecil was surprised to see Rydia sitting with the dwarves who had joined them from the Sealed Cave, watching them eat breakfast. She stood up when he emerged from below, looking much more presentable than she had yesterday. Her clothes were still torn, but everything had been pulled up, tied up, and put back in place the best it could be under the circumstances. Her hair had been brushed, and the damaged hyacinth hairpin sat high on her head, sweeping her bangs from her face.

"Cecil!" Rydia exclaimed. "How did you sleep?"

Cecil stared at her for a moment, not quite sure how to answer that. She lost interest waiting for him to reply – she instead turned away and faced the tower again, an anxious look drawing over her features.

"I think Cid was right…someone who knows what happened to me is in there…"

A dwarf approached Cecil. "Good morning, Lali. Shall I set a course for the Tower of Babil, sir? We're all clear as far as the mission in the Sealed Cave and have sealed the entrance back up with Princess Luca's necklace."

"Yes," Cecil nodded. _Let's get this over with. I need answers!_

"Lali-ho!" The dwarf exclaimed, and the others began to scramble about the deck, readying the ship. Luca was watching Cid enter coordinates into the navigation panel, and Porom was fussing over Palom, who had managed to surface with a crooked ponytail and wrinkled clothes.

"All right then, here we go!" Cid exclaimed, entering the final detail in the navigator and confirming the orders. "Everyone, grab something to hold on to!"

The Falcon lifted off, making a slow ninety-degree turn to head toward the Tower of Babil. Luca was at the wheel, with Cid behind her, gingerly guiding her hands to make adjustments as she stared straight ahead, concentrating on getting the liftoff perfect. Rydia was standing at the bow of the ship, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed, the wind from the rotors blowing her hair back. Cecil's eyes never left her as they began to move forward through the air.

 _First the Fire Crystal emits light, and then the Tower of Babil begins to glow…is someone attempting to activate it again? But with the Lunarians' moon gone, what would be the purpose of re-opening the moon's path?_

* * *

Edge opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the chamber he had wandered into to catch a quick round of shut-eye. The trek just to get to the shanty town inside the Cave of Eblan had been rough – Edge was used to fighting by himself, but the monsters in the cave had definitely been bolstering their populations since the Eblanese refugees had moved out, so it was slow-going. At least when his people had lived there, the monsters knew well enough to keep away, The Cave of Eblan had made a relatively safe hideout, save for the damp conditions spawning rampant disease and the starvation. Between Rubicante's bombing of Eblan Castle, and the perils of surviving in hiding, Eblan had lost nearly half its population last year.

Edge had not truly understood just how much despair this laid upon the kingdom until the news broke a few months prior that Lady Chisaki, a young woman from a prominent ninja clan that had all been wiped out in the fire save for her and her cousin, announced she was with child. It was to be the first live birth the kingdom had experienced since the attack, and Edge was genuinely surprised at how much joy this brought his people. To him, a baby was a baby – The extent of his thoughts on such a phenomenon were that he took great pains to make sure he didn't have any of his own running around in the world somewhere.

He rolled over in the makeshift bed a refugee had left behind, stretching his legs and thinking back to a conversation he had had with one of his disciples.

 _"Lady Chisaki's baby is like a living embodiment of hope for Eblan," Izayoi, his third disciple, and Chisaki's cousin, tried explaining to him one night after training as they sat on the shores of Eblan Beach, their aching feet soaking in the waves of the low tide. "Proof that after adversity, man will come back stronger than before. That life always finds a way."_

Izayoi was an enchanting young woman, only fifteen years old and already on her way to becoming a skilled _kunoichi_ , although Edge knew that she struggled with the thought of interlacing her femininity with her identity as a ninja – she thought of herself as a ninja first, and despised it when anyone brought up her gender. But it had been her espionage skills that had caught Edge's attention and had him encouraging Gekkou to let her join what was now the Eblan Three – not the fact that she was quickly blossoming into one of the most beautiful women in Eblan. Not only had Izayoi escaped Rubicante's attack on the kingdom unscathed, but she had lived as a spy by herself in several other kingdoms, trying to unravel the mystery of the attacks on the crystals and the connection Rubicante had with Baron.

When Izayoi had heard Eblan was undergoing a reconstruction effort and that their prince had returned home from the war, she immediately returned to Eblan, marching unabashedly to Edge's throne still weary from travel. Her tall, willowy frame was covered in bruises and filth, her wavy brown and black hair was wild, and dark circles had taken occupancy beneath her sapphire-blue eyes. Without bothering to formally request an audience with the new king, she relayed all of the intelligence she had gathered. She had learned things that Edge had only been able to glean from traveling with Cecil, Kain, Rosa and Rydia, so he knew everything she spoke of was true. She had even found out about King Cecil's coronation before Edge had received the invitation.

If Edge were being honest with himself, he also had felt drawn to Izayoi because she reminded him so much of Rydia. Physically, they were as different as could be – it had been their personalities and the way they carried themselves. They were proud, too brave for their own damn good, and relentless when there was something they wanted. But they were also gentle, sensitive, and vulnerable when it came to others suffering injustice, both being war orphans. But with Izayoi, he had wanted to nurture her talents and send her out into the world with gilded wings. With Rydia…it was much different.

 _Rydia…_

Edge pushed himself out of bed, and yawned. He had slept and thought enough – it was time to finish this. Glancing at the clock crudely nailed into the cavern wall that someone had left behind in their haste to escape, he saw that it was broken, so he had had no idea how much time had passed. Surely it was at least after midnight – everyone in Damcyan was probably well asleep, the celebration just a happy memory to them now. He hoped that Rydia had been there with them and that now she was back in her bed in the Feymarch, but he had a sinking feeling that was not the case.

Crossing into a larger cavern, Edge spied the low tunnel that he would need to crawl through in order to reach the path to the Tower of Babil. He got down on his hands and knees, the cold, stale water on the floor of the cave splashing on his cowl and making him gag as he dragged himself through, wary of smashing his head into the low ceiling. When at last he had reached the end of the tunnel, he climbed to his feet and began to hike up the ascending path. When a pack of cave bats screeched their warnings and attempted to swarm him from the rear, he merely flicked his wrist behind him as he walked and drew a curtain of flame from the aether, directing it upward with his index and middle fingers and setting the bats aflame. In a smoking heap, they collapsed to the cavern floor, twitching and burning until they dissolved into silvery dust.

When he reached a dead end, he paused, pressing his palms together and muttering a spell under his breath. A portion of the rocky cavern wall flashed red, then green, and then went back to normal. Glancing around discreetly to make sure no one was following him, Edge then walked into the wall, passing through as if he had walked through a gossamer veil.

On the other side, he found himself in the very familiar Tower of Babil – and immediately felt a heavy, twisted darkness in the air – it pressed upon him so intensely that he felt as if a pile of bricks had been dropped on his chest.

 _I knew it. Someone has been here._

All of its lights had been illuminated – of which there were many. The tower's floors were made out of smooth white glass that gave away any footsteps that fell upon them, even those of the most fleet-footed ninja. The walls were made out of the same material, but were lined with snaking patterns of neon blue lights that pulsed between a dim and bright setting intermittently, giving the impression that the tower itself was a living, breathing behemoth that you were trapped inside of. Between the glossy walls and floors and the blinding lights reflecting off of them, the result was a sterile, labyrinthine environment that was light-years beyond any other structures found on the Blue Planet. Edge had learned on the moon that the Tower of Babil was of Lunarian origin and had thus not been built by any humans, but learning where the tower came from didn't make it any less creepy to him.

What had once been a playground where he would secretly sneak into to impress girls as a teenager or to train unbeknownst to his clan had become the last place he had seen his parents alive, before they had killed themselves to prevent their mutated and twisted experimental forms gifted by Dr. Lugae from harming himself and Cecil, Kain, Rosa and Rydia, whom had rescued him from Rubicante just moments prior.

Oftentimes, Edge would wonder what would have happened if Cecil and the others had not stumbled upon his broken body in the tunnel that led to the Tower of Babil. He figured he would have eventually dragged himself into the tower and just let his parents kill him, if he had even made it that far – but fate had had other plans for him. And now he was back, so soon…although he didn't quite understand why yet.

Edge cracked his knuckles and reached over his shoulders with both arms, unsheathing Murasame and Masamune, his prized katanas that he had unearthed from the moon's core before the final battle with Zemus. The blades gleaming in his hands, he marched forward, mentally daring any monsters to cross his path. The dark, unsettling presence was stinking up the place – and it was getting closer with each step he took.

 _Let's unmask these bastards once and for all!_

* * *

In front of the true entrance to the Tower of Babil, which was underground, were positioned several golden tanks that belonged to King Giott's army. Word had been sent back to the castle that a raid was to occur, and Giott had ordered the tanks to protect Cecil and the others should any trouble arise, now that the castle was free from the threat of monsters once again.

Luca landed the ship carefully and unfurled the ramp, and Cecil waved for the others to gather close to him. He had formulated a plan.

"Cid, I need you to stay here," Cecil began. "We'll need you on the Falcon, and ready to support us, should things go ill." He thought back to the last time they had attempted to escape the Tower of Babil, and Golbez had destroyed the drawbridge that would have led them to safety, tossing them into the magma. Luckily, Cid had just barely managed to catch them with the Enterprise before the unthinkable happened. "Palom and Porom, you're with me – and Rydia too."

Cid nodded. "You can count on me. You lot be careful out there."

"Palom…Porom…be careful," Luca said, and the twins nodded, trying to be as sober as possible even though they were both thrilled at the thought of getting to see the Tower of Babil up-close and personal. Ever since they had seen the Giant of Babil emerge from the tower and had gotten to battle it from their very own airship (borrowed from Baron) in an aerial assault, they had been anxious to unlock even more of the tower's secrets. It was positively humming with a magical energy that drew them to it like bees to honey.

Luca turned to Rydia, giving her one last hug. Rydia looked down at the top of Luca's head, and gently patted her back, like one would a strange dog.

"I will be back," Rydia said, but her eyes had averted back to the tower and had become foggy and distant once more.

When the four of them reached the drawbridge, Cecil turned and waved to the ship. Cid waved back, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Cecil…Don't do anything too crazy, you hear?"

"We'll be OK!" Cecil called back, and led the party inside. The automatic, silver-plated door slammed down from above after they stepped through the threshold, silencing the sound of the bubbling magma under the bridge and leaving them in an eerily quiet chamber. There were no monsters or patrol units, unlike the last time Cecil had been through, and the only sounds were their feet clicking across the glass tiles.

"It's above," Rydia frowned, her hands pressed to her temples. "The voices."

"There's so much magical energy in here," Porom added. "I can feel it running through my body like a current."

"Not from the crystals, though?" Cecil asked worriedly. Yes, the Sealed Cave's crystal was safe, but anything could have happened on the surface in the hours they were sleeping.

"No crystals," Palom confirmed, and Cecil let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, "But definitely something different from what you can find on the surface world."

The tower's staircases were sealed away by massive metal doors that would slide open upon sensing someone's presence. As they encountered the first staircase, the door slid open before they had even stepped forward, and a massive Frostbeast lumbered out. A feral creature that walked on all fours and had the resemblance of a wolf, but roughly ten times larger, Frostbeasts were pure muscle encased in ice and snow and typically found in cold environments or deep caves. In harsher winter months, Frostbeasts would be known to wander close to villages, and were a very real threat thanks to their destructive power.

So it was impossible for Cecil to fathom why one was in the underworld, one of the hottest and unforgiving climates on the planet, and in the Tower of Babil, of all places.

"Be on your guard!" Cecil cried, withdrawing Ragnarok and slashing at the monster's head. The blade struck a hard patch of ice, cutting a deep fissure into the Frostbeast but not deeply enough to draw blood. The Frostbeast shook its head angrily and raised a paw, swiping at Cecil, who managed to block with his shield but slid back a few feet from the force of the blow. He dove forward again, trying to draw the Frostbeast away from the others.

"Haste!" Porom cried, casting the speed spell on Palom and Rydia. "Let's pummel it with fire magic!" She followed up with Protect and Blink spells for Cecil, so he could protect them while they casted their magic.

Palom was conjuring a Firaga spell, but Rydia was at a stand-still, watching the Frostbeast confusedly. Porom grabbed hold of her sleeve, trying to get her attention.

"Rydia! Summon Ifrit…please!"

Rydia looked down at Porom, blinking as if she had asked her to do something as ridiculous as raising the dead.

"I can't do that."

"What!?" Porom cried, but they were interrupted by the massive explosion that had been let forth from Palom's rod. The Frostbeast was obliterated in seconds, bursting into a cloud of snow and ice that rained down upon them. Hovering in the air above the charred and blown-open doorway, a glowing blue orb twinkled and suddenly flew forward, striking Rydia in the chest before anyone could stop it. She stumbled back, closing her eyes and radiating with a soft white aura before everything returned back to normal.

Rydia opened her eyes and looked around, a small smile on her lips.

"Sum…mon…"

"Rydia…?" Cecil blinked. "Are you OK?"

"Um, you are welcome!" Palom snorted, gesturing toward the completely destroyed doorway. "Could have used some backup, Rydia! I thought you could summon eidolons to do your dirty work for you!" He had heard Porom's request and Rydia's refusal, and was livid – not that he didn't appreciate the opportunity to show off his power.

Rydia tilted her head, not understanding his rage. "Do you not comprehend? Porom asked me to summon Ifrit, which I cannot do. But now I can summon Shiva, so I will help next time, all right?"

"What do you mean you can't summon Ifrit…?" Porom trailed off. Rydia was one of the most powerful summoners in the world and could control any known eidolon – including the Father of Eidolons himself. _How could this be?_

"Did…that Frostbeast give you the ability to summon Shiva?" Cecil felt foolish even asking such a thing, since he knew that wasn't how eidolons worked – they challenged a summoner who wished to call upon them to prove their worth first, and only then would they form a covenant. He had been through enough of those challenges at Rydia's side to know that. But Rydia nodded, much to his surprise.

"Cecil understands. Shall we continue?" She brushed past them and went through the destroyed doorway, her boots clicking up the stairs as she left them behind.

Cecil, Porom and Palom stared at each other, not sure what to say.

"Who could have done such a thing to her?" Porom whispered. "I've never heard of a summoner losing their powers…"

"We must be observant," Cecil said softly. "If whoever attacked Rydia is really here, we have to be on our guard if they are powerful enough to strip a summoner of her eidolons. Can I depend on you two to do the heavy lifting? We have to protect her at all costs."

"Of course," Palom and Porom said in unison, their rings glinting on their fingers as they looked at each other.

On each subsequent floor that they climbed, they encountered a different beast that blocked their passage. Next up was a Green Dragon, and Rydia kept her promise, summoning Shiva, the goddess of ice. Taking the form of a fairy, the blue-skinned ice dancer pirouetted around the dragon, a twirling storm of snow and ice following in her wake. Snapping open a fan, she blew a kiss to the dragon, which had taken the form of a glistening diamond that bounced about in the air. Guiding it toward the dragon with her fan, the diamond suddenly erupted into towering ice spikes that tore the dragon asunder, and Shiva disappeared with giggle and a snap of her fingers.

Rydia closed her eyes and stepped forward, anticipating what would happen next. A bright golden orb had risen from the Green Dragon's corpse, plunging itself into her chest. This time, she had braced herself, and didn't stumble as the magic infiltrated her body once more. When she opened her eyes, they briefly flashed yellow before fading back to green.

"Ramuh…" she breathed, and Cecil could swear he heard the snap of electricity in the air when she locked her gaze on his, her lips twisting.

* * *

After defeating a Flamehound, the fiery cousin of a Frostbeast, and obtaining Ifrit, and on the next floor felling a Tunneler (a ten foot-tall, pincer-equipped centipede that Palom took great pleasure in electrocuting with a Thundaga spell) to acquire Titan, the party had finally come to an impasse.

There were only two exits available from what they could glean from frantically searching the floor – a locked door to their far right, with no key seemingly available, and a door straight ahead of them to the north that Cecil remembered led to the tower's cannon control room. However, the cannons had all been destroyed by Yang a year ago when a minion of Golbez's had attempted to use them to fire upon King Giott's castle, and Cecil knew from being inside the room itself that there was no exit save for jumping out a massive glass-paneled window, a fall from which most would not survive.

Rydia was staring at the walkway that led to the cannons; her eyes glazing over in what Cecil thought looked like tears. He remembered when Yang had, at the time, seemingly sacrificed himself for them so he could stop the cannons, and Rydia had broken down. She had been devastated that the man who had tried to save her life when Leviathan had swallowed her as a child was gone forever, and could barely bring herself to leave Yang and the tower – Cecil and Kain had had to practically carry her out.

Of course, now Cecil knew that all had ended well – Yang had miraculously survived the explosion and had been rescued by Sylphs, kind fairies that lived deep in the underworld and had nursed him back to health until he could return to Fabul. They had been so dedicated to Yang's recovery, that they refused to let him join Cecil again in battle and had offered themselves up as summons for Rydia instead, so that they could fight in Yang's place.

But Rydia could feel something drawing her to that room – and she found her feet carrying her on their own down the walkway, toward the closed doors. A quiet, serene voice echoed in her ears that no one else could hear.

 _They have served their purpose – no need to leave behind a mess._

Cecil had been watching the twins, who were poking around and trying to find another way out after he had explained the cannon room was a dead-end, when he briefly glanced back over at Rydia and saw that she was opening the doors. He whirled around, calling her name.

"Rydia!?"

She didn't reply, the doors sliding shut behind her. Cecil sighed and called the twins over, proceeding to march up the walkway himself. When he tried pulling open the doors, however, they were locked shut.

"What the hell…?" Cecil pulled harder, but there was no give. He banged on the doors with his fist, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Rydia! The doors have locked – let us in!"

Palom and Porom looked at each other. They both had _that_ feeling – something was horribly wrong. The ambience of the chamber had suddenly taken on a twisted darkness, and their hearts were leaping into their throats. It was the same feeling they had gotten before Cagnazzo had attempted to murder them in Baron Castle.

"Cecil, watch out!" Palom hissed.

"Something's coming!" Porom gasped.

There was the sound of footsteps echoing inside, and then a click, and the doors slid open on their own. But rather than being greeted by Rydia, Cecil and the twins had instead found themselves stared down by three platinum-plated android soldiers, each about eight feet tall. They were identically-built, with glowing blue cannons for right arms and spinning knife-like claws on their left hands. A glowing blue core spun dizzily in their abdomens, generating energy that Cecil could see running throughout their bodies in translucent, vein-like rubber cords. Their faces comprised of spiked helmets with gleaming Viking horns that looked like they had been hurriedly smashed onto their wide, bolt-ridden shoulders – one of the soldier's face grates was hanging off, exposing a mess of circuitry and sparking wires, and the other two were dented in a sickening angle with one bent horn apiece. Cecil feared that Rydia had been cornered and tried to fight her way out, and that this was the result.

Cecil stepped back slowly, holding his arms out to guard the twins. The androids whirred and began to follow him, taking clunky steps forward in unison that made the entire walkway shake as blue lights lit up inside their helmets.

"Cecil…!" Porom whimpered. "What should we do?"

Cecil frowned, trying to keep his eyes on all three of the androids at once. There was no way he could duel with them on the walkway – it was barely big enough for the six of them as it was. One false step or a shot from one of their laser cannons, and he would be taking a one-way trip down the tower.

"Can you try to do another Twincast spell?" Cecil asked. "Take all three out at once?"

"Cover us!" Palom nodded, and he and Porom ran away back toward the safety of the main floor.

One of the androids lunged forward, thrusting the spinning claws at Cecil's chest. Cecil blocked it with his shield, and covered his eyes with his free arm as sparks burst from where the blades collided with the diamond and adamantite-laden shield. The other two androids surged forward to try to execute a pincer attack while Cecil was distracted.

"Pyroblast!" Palom and Porom screamed, and Cecil felt a tremendous wave of energy rush through the air behind him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Sickening popping noises began to erupt from the android soldiers, bubbles of blistering liquid fire exploding underneath their armored plating and sending shrapnel and body parts flying. Cecil backed up slowly to make his way closer to the twins, holding his shield higher in an effort to protect their faces from the debris. The battered androids collapsed in a pile of demolished metal, smoke and crackling wires, the light in their abdominal cores and eyes fading to black.

Cecil lowered his shield, letting out a sigh of relief. Palom and Porom jumped onto his back, laughing and giving each other high-fives that came dangerously close to smacking Cecil in the face.

"We can even dismantle machinery in one blow!" Palom exclaimed. "Bet you would have loved to have us along the first time you were in the tower, eh Cecil?"

"It was interesting to see how a non-organic monster would react to such a spell," Porom mused. "Good idea, Cecil."

"I…uh…" Cecil shook his head. "…Thanks, I guess. But you guys did all the work…"

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!"

A siren interrupted them, and it was coming from the pile of broken android soldiers on the floor. The lights throughout the tower faded from blue to red, and began to flash rapidly, the effect stupefying. One by one, the three androids' eyes lit up again, this time the same color as the red lights all around them, and there came the bone-chilling sound of metal scraping against glass.

"ENTERING FINAL MODE…"

Cecil watched in disbelief as the broken parts began to assemble themselves on their own, being pulled back into sockets by magnetic force and with wires that would drift out like snakes and ensnare other wires. They twisted themselves together as if invisible hands were manipulating them, shooting off sparks and smoke while the parts soldered back on to each other. Between all three androids, enough parts had been salvaged to make one new, even taller android, which rose from its knees and shot into the air, landing with a crash on the other side of the walkway behind Cecil and the twins.

Just as Cecil whirled around, with the twins still clinging to his back, the core on the new android pulsed with an ominous amber color, and it lifted its new cannon arm, firing off a golden laser dead center into Cecil's chest.

The impact threw Cecil backwards, sending him smashing into the doors of the cannon room, which had closed once more and dented inward with the collision of his body. Palom and Porom were crushed between the doors and Cecil's back, and slumped to the floor, instantly knocked senseless. Cecil's head was aching just from the effort of breathing, and he could feel something wet and sticky trickling down his neck. His chest felt like it was on fire from where his breastplate had absorbed the laser, and as he tried to feebly pry it away from his skin, trails of smoke began to emit from the fingertips of his gloves, the smell of burning leather rushing up his nose.

"ARRRRGH!" Cecil screamed, ripping away the breastplate and tossing it aside, his navy tunic underneath scorched through and exposing pink, swollen flesh across his chest. Some of the swells had split open, oozing oil and blood.

He clenched his jaw, trying to overcome the agonizing feeling of his skin tearing apart to pull himself back up to his feet, but he couldn't move an inch without another wave of pain assaulting his senses. The android began to march toward them, each stomp sending a reverberation through the walkway that sent Cecil's nerves into more fits.

"R-Raise…" Cecil gasped, and slumped down against the door. Soft white light shone over the twins, reviving them from their stupor. Porom was the first to stir, opening her eyes and crying out as Cecil's collapsed form came into focus.

"Curaga!" Porom whimpered, tears running down her cheeks as she gently placed her hands over his burned body. The android was only a few feet away now, its cannon aimed straight for them, which was charging up for another attack. The rainbow light that poured from Porom's hands slowly sunk into Cecil's skin, mending the wounds, but he wasn't coming back around – her magic was doing nothing for the pain.

Palom groaned from where he was laying face-down on the floor. Lifting one hand weakly, he muttered a Stop spell, but it simply bounced off the android and nearly ricocheted back into him, missing his ponytail by mere inches.

The cannon was overflowing with sparkling energy, and the android's core began to spin wildly once more, activating the cannon's safety release. Hearing the familiar whirl, Cecil's eyes opened half-way, and the last thing he saw was a blinding explosion of light.


	5. Dream Five: Impostor

Dream Five: Impostor

 _"Cecil?"_

 _"Come on man…wake up!"_

 _"Can you hear us?"_

"Mmmm…"

Cecil had been in bed and was having a wonderful dream – one of the best he had had in a long time. But someone was trying to wake him up, and he could feel the warm sunlight tickling his face – he supposed he had better open his eyes and face the day.

Standing above him smiling with her arms crossed under her breasts was Cecilia, his mother. Her shiny, waist-length platinum hair was tucked neatly behind her ears as to not hide her alabaster complexion, and her eyes, the same blue as his own, were sparkling from the light drifting in from the white linen curtains blowing lazily in the spring breeze. She was dressed much more formally than usual – she was wearing her best violet gown, fashioned from silk and embroidered at the sweetheart neckline and waist with delicate trails of transparent pearls that looked like sea spray. Around her neck, she wore a simple, but well-loved platinum pendant the shape of a crescent moon.

"We're going to be late for the coronation, dear," she lectured, though not unkindly. "I thought the whole reason for you spending the night here was so that you were sure to get there on time?"

"Right!" Cecil sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up. "I was just having the best dream…"

"What was it about?" Cecilia asked, turning away to throw open another window that was across from Cecil's bed – or at least, what had been his bed when he lived there – letting in another cheerful burst of sunlight and the smell of the village's spring flowers. Cecil pushed his hair out of his eyes, and smiled.

"You know…I already forget. But it was _really_ good."

"All right…best hurry up and get dressed so we can get going," Cecilia crossed the room to Cecil and hurriedly kissed him on the forehead – a habit she had never let go of, even now that he was a grown adult. "Your brother should be here any moment too. Your father will meet us at the spot he found – he said it's the perfect view."

"Mother!?" A loud, deep voice boomed from downstairs. "You still here?!"

"And there's Theodor," Cecilia shook her head. "He's going to wake up the whole neighborhood." Cecil could tell that despite her tone, she was secretly pleased to have both of her boys under one roof, however briefly. She left, closing the bedroom door behind her.

He climbed out of bed, shaking his head a little when he saw that his mother had already laid out his clothes for him, freshly-pressed and hanging from the back of the door. He yanked them down and pulled on the black cotton slacks and dark gray tunic. Just as he was shrugging on the elegant black overcoat that fell just below his narrow waist, his door slammed open, and standing before him, a smirk curled on his lips, was his big brother.

Theodor was ten years older, a head taller, and twice as wide – but it was all muscle from years of military drills. He was dressed similarly to Cecil, but already had his slacks tucked into his leather, knee-high boots, and wore a pair of black diamond earrings that were barely noticeable under his silver-gray hair, which was a few shades darker than Cecil's own, but nearly the same length. His skin had a healthy tan – he spent a lot of time outdoors as a member of Baron's elite air force, the Red Wings. It had been through Theodor that they were able to snag invitations to the "public" portion of the coronation in the first place.

Theodor's violet eyes flashed as he took in Cecil's freshly-awoken state. "You're still not ready? I don't care what Mother says…you really do get special treatment. She let you sleep in until the last possible moment – again."

"Come off it," Cecil laughed, but it was true. Cecilia spoiled him rotten – her differences in discipline between her first-born son and her second-born son had probably been the main reason why Golbez was a member of the most powerful nation in the world's army and why Cecil was a wandering (but successful in his own right) instructor of swordsmanship.

Cecil finished getting dressed, ran a brush through his hair, and bolted down the stairs along with Theodor. Cecilia inspected each of them, licking her thumb and rubbing a smudge off of Theodor's forehead before nodding in approval.

"I have the handsomest boys in all of Baron. I daresay you've got nothing on our new king, the gods bless him."

"I'm pretty sure that's some type of treason," Theodor laughed. "Don't say that outside this house."

They left together, joining other groups of military families that had been extended the same invitation as them. They were approaching the promenade that led to Baron Castle, which was awash in freshly-blossomed pink and white trees, as if the planet itself knew today was one of celebration. Cecil and Theodor's father, Kluya, was waving to them from underneath one such tree, his normally wild navy hair tied back into a respectable ponytail and his formerly chest-length beard neatly trimmed to his chin. Theodor had clearly gotten all of his features from their father, while Cecil was basically the male version of their mother.

"This _is_ a good spot!" Cecilia said, giving Kluya a quick kiss on the side of his mouth. "How did you manage this?"

"I offered one of the soldiers free magic lessons for his daughter…" Kluya winked. He could get away with anything if he offered the secrets of the Lunarians as a prize.

Only fifteen minutes later, the promenade had become packed, and you could tell by the way the soldiers were double and triple-checking the route that the newly crowned king and queen were about to arrive at any moment. Cecil pushed himself up on his toes, momentarily jealous of Theodor, who was undoubtedly the tallest man among the entire group of revelers. Cecilia and Kluya were leaning in toward each other, whispering something and not even paying attention – even at their age, they would get lost in their own world.

Cecil's palms were sweaty, and he felt a nervous twist in his stomach, although he wasn't sure why. It had been his idea to join his family for the coronation celebration – he didn't understand why he was suddenly feeling so anxious about it. It was going to be a five-minute parade, and then it would be all over. It was the oddest feeling – like he had been split in two, and one half of him was watching it all in from the sky above, waiting for disaster to strike.

As the doors to the castle slowly slid open, the crowd silenced their chatter. A tall, elegant man stepped out first, outfitted in emerald-green dragon scale armor that practically blinded Cecil in the sunlight, it glimmered so beautifully. From his back trailed an elegant ivory silk cape, and his long blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, a wyvern wing headband framing his face and complementing the gold and emerald crown that sat upon his head. As his sky blue eyes scanned the crowd, Cecil felt a chill when they seemed to fall directly on him.

 _What…what's wrong with me?_ Cecil thought. _Something doesn't feel right…why do I feel like I know that man?_

Their new king was holding the hand of his bride, and as he led her out, Cecil felt like a sinkhole had opened up beneath him, eagerly awaiting to drag him to hell. It was Rosa – _his_ Rosa – a living dream in a white taffeta wedding gown that sumptuously hugged her lithe frame with an angel wing motif pinned in her hair to match the king's dragon wings. Her veil was thrown back, her bow-shaped lips in a wide smile as her hair spilled down her shoulders and bare back in golden waves.

 _That can't be Rosa…wait…how do I even know a Rosa?_

 _I don't know anyone named Rosa…_

Theodor looked over at Cecil, and frowned. "Brother, you look pale. Are you OK?"

But his words were drowned out in the sudden burst of cheers from the crowd. "Long live the Highwind clan!"

 _Highwind?_ Cecil pressed his hands to his temples, trying to stop the spinning that was making him want to throw up right there on the promenade.

 _Kain Highwind?_

 _Kain and Rosa are…_

Kain pulled Rosa closer, and kissed her in full-view of everyone, right at the top of the castle steps. Rosa closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his waist and anxiously pressing deeper into him, like she was trying to become one with his form. Cecil sunk to his knees, a scream escaping his throat. He felt like his head was about to break open – the pain was unbearable, and his chest felt tight – he realized couldn't breathe. He could feel his body starving for oxygen as black spots began to bleed into his vision.

"Brother!" Theodor cried. He kneeled over Cecil, along with Kluya and Cecilia. Everyone else had disappeared, and his family leaning over him was the only blurry spot of color against a stark white sky.

"Cecil, wake up!" Cecilia begged, taking his face into her hands and forcing him to look into her depthless eyes. "This is just a nightmare!"

* * *

Cecil opened his eyes, and was surprised to feel tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Cecil!" Porom gasped, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing. "Oh, thank the gods!"

"You are such a jerk!" Palom groaned, but he was clinging to Cecil's arm like he would never let go.

Edge was kneeling before Cecil, his hair falling in his eyes and his cowl pulled down around his neck, his mouth set in a straight line. Cecil had never seen him look so serious – or dare he say worried – in his life.

"Edge!" Cecil blinked. "That light…it was you?" It had been the last thing he could remember before "waking up" in Baron.

"Yeah, I fried that bastard with a Blitz," Edge finally let himself laugh. "And just in a nick of time too, it looks like. Did you really have to pass out before I made my big entrance?"

"Sorry…" Cecil shook his head. "For a while…I thought I was dead. I had this dream…my parents were there, and my brother…but…"

"Didn't you hear us calling?" Porom sniffled. "I thought you would never wake up!"

"I…I think I did…" Cecil recalled the voices he had heard before he woke up…his dream within a dream. He sat up more; surprised that most of his pain was gone. He ran his hand over his chest – the burned skin had healed, leaving just a flush of pink that would fade with time. "…I'm sorry. Thank you for bringing me back from the brink."

Edge stood up, stretching and cracking his neck. "I should've known you would all be here. I would've come sooner."

"What do you mean?" Cecil pulled himself to his feet, shaking off the clinging twins.

Edge raised an eyebrow. "It was just for a sec, but I saw this tower glowing with my own eyes – right after dreaming about it."

"Then it's true…" Cecil shook his head. "We saw it too."

"Yeah. I don't know who it could be, but someone is trying to get this thing running again."

"No way…" Palom blanched. "But without the crystals…?"

"And Rydia is…!" Porom faced the doors to the cannon room, which had been damaged in the fight with the final android.

"She's here, too?" Edge asked quickly, and Cecil nodded.

"Yes, she's…"

But before he could finish, Edge withdrew Murasame and Masamune from the holsters on his back, and slashed them through the door in an "X" motion. The doors broke apart in four clean portions and collapsed inward, clattering to the floor. They rushed inside, but were shocked to find the room completely empty. There hadn't even been a sign of a struggle – despite the condition of the androids when they faced Cecil and the twins the first time.

"Rydia…!?" Cecil called, and the twins dashed in, scouring for hiding places.

"Where'd she go now!?" Palom sighed.

"Well, we have to find her!" Porom bit her lip. "She could be in great danger!"

Edge put his hands on his hips, looking down at the floor. _Damn it all…! I was too late._

"Edge, do you know how we get out of here?" Cecil asked. "The other door on this floor is locked."

"Oh, I took care of that one too," Edge sighed, nodding toward the remains of the door they had just bust through. "That was how I got here. But I was already upstairs…do you think she…"

"She told us that voices were calling her from above," Cecil frowned. "She must have tried to follow them."

"Then let us double-back," Edge said, already turning away from the cannon room. "Let's hurry!"

They fled back down the walkway, and sure enough, the door that had been previously locked had met a painful fate thanks to Edge's blades. Stepping over the rubble, Edge led them through the maze of hallways, though this time, none of the stairways were guarded by monsters to hinder their progress. When they reached what had formally been Doctor Lugae's lab, where they had been forced to destroy the madman that had turned himself into a monster, they spotted Rydia standing on the walkway that led to the tower's transporter. It appeared not to be working – the lights were out and the consoles next to it that controlled it were still destroyed from their battle with Lugae, with no one left alive from Golbez's empire to ever fix them.

Rydia was staring straight ahead, and didn't even turn to face the others when they finally arrived, out of breath and sweating from running nearly the entire way up several flights of stairs.

"Rydia…!" Cecil gasped, trying to take in oxygen as he spoke.

"Thank goodness!" Porom sniffled. "We've been looking for you…"

"What the heck are you doing in a place like this?" Palom raised his eyebrows, giving the destroyed lab an once-over. "Creepy…you can tell lots of bad things have happened in here – I'm getting a nasty vibe."

Edge crossed his arms over his chest. So… _this_ had been the dark presence he had been feeling. He looked at Cecil, Palom and Porom, who were staring at Rydia in utter confusion – wondering why she was ignoring them.

 _I see…they have no idea._

"…It is a good disguise, huh?" Edge asked. Cecil looked at him, and that got Rydia's attention – she whirled around, her lips pressed together in a straight line and her eyes narrowed angrily.

"What!?" Cecil cried. Edge shrugged, raising his eyebrows and nodding toward the girl.

"But I'm not fooled that easily! That's _not_ Rydia."

"How could that be…?" Porom glanced at Rydia, her staff rattling in her shaking hands. _Why couldn't Palom or I sense it?!_

"Then who is this chick!?" Palom demanded. He was thinking the same thing as his sister. _How the hell had she gotten one past them?_

"Is it true…?" Cecil looked down, ashamed. How could he have possibly not figured it out, when so much had been wrong from the start? He had been completely blindsided. "So it was _you_ that made the monsters go berserk in the Sealed Cave…? That's why there was no evidence that anyone else had been with you…"

She cut a glance at Cecil and crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking Edge, but said nothing.

"Come on you cheap knockoff, give us some answers!" Edge demanded. Rydia growled and suddenly sprinted past Cecil, throwing herself on top of Edge and wrapping her hands around his neck. Although she took him by surprise, he was able to toss her away as easily as a poppet, sending her flying into the glass of the busted transporter with a piercing shriek while Cecil, Palom and Porom watched in horror.

Rydia – or the girl they had thought was Rydia – picked herself up from the floor and swiped at the blood that was dripping from a fresh gash in her cheek. Raising her hands in the air, the glowing orbs from the four eidolons she had acquired appeared before her, spinning around her in a blinding loop of light and creating a protective barrier.

"Remove…all…obstacles…!" she hissed, and the first of the four orbs sprung free from the spinning lights, exploding in storm of snow and ice before the party – Shiva.

"We have to fight the eidolons!?" Porom cried.

"They think she's their master!" Cecil frowned. "If we don't defeat them, they'll kill us for sure. They don't recognize us!"

Shiva hopped from one foot to another in an elegant dance, preparing to launch her ice storm. Porom cast Haste on her brother, and Palom summoned a Firaga spell, the flames converging around Shiva as she tried to leap away desperately, shrieking when her fan caught on fire. Just as the snow around her had started to form an obscuring barrier, the flames exploded, forcing the ice dancer to her knees. Her screams filled the chamber as the fire melted her flesh away, and Cecil had to close his eyes until there was nothing left of her but a puddle and rising steam.

The false Rydia stomped her foot and thrust her hand out, sending another orb into battle. An elderly god in baggy blue and gray robes appeared, his golden beard curled down to his feet and a massive ruby staff in his hand that was as tall as he - Ramuh. Smashing his staff to the floor, the room turned dark and erupted into rolling thunder, lightning strikes raining upon the party. Cecil shouted for the others to gather near him, and he raised his shield in an attempt to divert the lighting and absorb it. The twins dove underneath and clung to his legs, while Edge dodged the lightning on his own, his natural speed outmatching even a thunder god's magic.

He dashed behind the girl, whom he knew the lightning would not touch, vaulting off of her shoulders before she could even turn around and launching himself into a mid-air somersault. His katanas withdrawn, he slammed them into Ramuh's back, sinking them down to the hilt as the blades burst through the front of his chest, his eyes wide and white from shock.

The lightning subsided, and Ramuh disappeared in a burst of green crystal bubbles, the darkness of the storm clearing from the room. Edge tumbled forward without the leverage of the old man's body, but launched himself into a back flip to join Cecil and the others across from their assailant.

She sneered, but without hesitation, sent out another minion. This time it was Ifrit, a fire djinn with deep green skin, ivory horns that sprouted from all over his flesh, and spiky purple hair. He let out a roar, and crouched down, a purple and red aura beginning to envelope his body. His signature attack was to wrap himself in flames and charge his enemies, crushing any that he did not manage to burn to death.

"I don't think so," Palom smirked, firing off a Blizzaga spell before Ifrit could even launch himself off the floor. Massive icicles materialized beneath him, and when Palom snapped his fingers, they expanded to twice their size, puncturing Ifrit all over and lifting his battered body from the ground. With a third snap, Palom shattered the icicles into hundreds of ice crystals, and Ifrit disappeared in a blur of sparkling dust.

"I will end you," the false Rydia said calmly, and released her last orb of light. Springing forth was Titan, a bronze colossus that Cecil was unfortunately all-too familiar with – he was the same eidolon that had caused a massive earthquake in Mist when Rydia had accidentally summoned him as a child, mutating the entire topography of the Misty Valley and sealing Mist Village off from the rest of the world permantely.

"Porom!" Cecil called over his shoulder. "Do you know Float?"

"Yes!" Porom cried. "One moment!" She closed her eyes, thrusting her staff in the air and chanting the spell. Translucent angel wings fastened themselves to each party member's back; lifting them nearly a foot off the ground. Titan slammed his fist into the floor, splitting the glass open and creating a massive sinkhole only inches from where they had been standing. Had they been on the ground, the tremors would have knocked them right in.

Confused that his prey had not fallen, Titan slammed his other fist into the floor, ripping open yet another crevice. The sinkhole now completely collapsed in on itself, and Cecil could see the rubble and glass pouring down onto the floor below from which they had just climbed up from.

"They are flying, you idiot!" the girl hissed, and Titan looked back at her, scratching his head. Cecil took advantage of the opening, and leapt forward, raising his sword in the air and bringing it down across Titan's chest. Titan wailed and lunged as the blood gushed out of his wound, grabbing Cecil's foot before he could dash away.

"Damn it!" Cecil cried, writhing in Titan's grip. Titan swung Cecil in the air by his leg, aiming to slam him into the crevice he had opened up in the jagged and broken glass below. Cecil slammed his eyes shut, his stomach twisting itself into knots as he was whipped through the air.

"Cecil!" Porom screamed.

A piercing whistle shot past Cecil's ear, and he was suddenly flung away as Titan roared and reached for his face with both hands, trying to pry out the fuma shuriken Edge had launched into his eyes with perfect aim. The angel wings on Cecil's back righted his balance, and instead of falling, he floated back down to the others, his head spinning from the trip. Miraculously, he had kept hold of his sword his entire time in the air.

"Bio!" Palom chanted, and green, sticky ooze climbed up Titan's body, seeping into his wounds and eating away at his strength. Titan tried to fling the ooze off in sticky handfuls, but quickly became overwhelmed and weakened, crashing to the floor on his face and going still.

Disgusted, the impostor waved her hand, and Titan disappeared in a burst of green crystal bubbles. The light barrier around her body was gone now, and she was vulnerable.

"There is nowhere to run!" Cecil shouted. "Give it up and tell us who you are!" He still couldn't bring himself to hurt her yet, even if she only _looked_ like Rydia.

Staring at Cecil as if he had made the most ludicrous request in the world, she shook her head and pressed her hands together, closing her eyes. Her hair blowing in the wind, she began to glow with a yellow aura, and more of the green crystal bubbles began to form around her, orbiting her like a sun.

"She shouldn't have any more eidolons!" Porom cried. "What is she doing now?"

Her question was answered shortly – a powerful blast of wind ripped through the room, and the sound of beating wings reverberated in their ears. Sinking to the battlefield from the skies above was the All-Father of the Eidolons himself, Bahamut. A fierce wyvern the color of deep space and undoubtedly also the strongest of the eidolons, he was able to incinerate entire villages with a single breath of his aptly-named Mega Flare.

Even the real Rydia hadn't been able to defeat him using conventional combat methods with her friends – she had only been able to strike a covenant with the All-Father when she cleverly turned his own power against him using Reflect magic.

"Porom!" Cecil knelt beside the poor child, who was shaking in her boots as she stared at the dragon coming closer and closer. "We need you to cast Reflect!"

"I…" Porom was white as a sheet, and stuttering. "Uhh…" Cecil frowned, grasping her shoulders.

"Snap out of it!"

The imposter giggled and pointed toward Cecil and Porom. "Take care of those obstacles first. They think they're clever…"

Bahamut paused mid-air and began beating his wings furiously, whipping up a maelstrom so powerful that it lifted some of Lugae's old equipment in the air, spinning it around in a funnel cloud and sending it flying across the room with a loud crash. Even with Float, Bahamut's wings were too powerful, and Cecil, Edge, Palom and Porom were thrown backwards into the wall behind them, sliding to the floor in a heap as the shattered glass they slammed into showered them.

"Ugh…!" Cecil gasped, feeling several shards lodged into his back. When he dared to move, they just dug themselves in deeper in his flesh.

"She's even more powerful than the real one!" Edge moaned, lifting his head from the floor, his arms sliced to ribbons.

"Watch it…guys…!" Palom reached up, pointing to the glowing ball of energy that had begun to form in Bahamut's open maw.

"Porom…!" Cecil moaned, but she was passed out next to him, blood pooling in her hair, which had been ripped out of her ponytail. Cecil choked out a Raise spell, but he knew it wouldn't bring her around fast enough to cast all of the Reflect spells she would need to chain together to give them a fighting chance. Porom was only opening her eyes when Bahamut reared his head back, preparing to release Mega Flare.

"I can't die here!" Palom wailed. "I haven't even gotten to kiss a girl yet!"

"My thinking too, kid…" Edge's forced laugh turned into a violent cough as he spat blood onto the floor.

Cecil summoned the remainder of his strength, pulling Palom and Porom's limp bodies against him the best he could manage. If he could at least shield the children with his body…they might stand a chance in surviving the attack, and could launch a counter with their Twincast magic. Edge groaned and tried to lift himself up, only to fall back on his face.

 _"Awaken, Hallowed Father of the Eidolons!"_

A crystal-clear, cheerful voice radiated throughout the chamber, causing Bahamut to slam his jaw shut and look around the room, vexed. Smoke curled out of his nostrils from the simmering Mega Flare in his throat. The room began to fill with a cold, glittering fog, and a white dragon rose from the massive hole only feet away from Cecil and the others, swirling in radiant, holy mist.

Cecil opened his eyes, his heart skipping a beat. _That dragon…!_

Throwing its head back, the white dragon sprayed mist all over Bahamut and the girl. Bahamut sank to the floor, collapsing in front of his false master, and she futilely tried to cover her face with her arms, screaming in agony.

As the fog in the room cleared, a lone figure could be seen standing on the white dragon's back, her emerald hair shining with the mist that clung to her locks like diamonds; a whip in one hand and a deep violet, glowing orb in the other. In her hair, a fully-whole ruby hyacinth hairpin twinkled.

"Rydia…!" Bahamut swallowed his Mega Flare spell and flew toward her, fading into aether as the wind carried him into the violet orb in her hand. Lifting the orb in the air, Rydia closed her eyes and let it absorb back into her chest, her body glowing with divine light.

"Curaga!" Porom moaned, and the party was bathed in rainbow light, their wounds closing and pushing away the invading glass. As soon as Edge was able to stand, he bolted up and ran toward the dragon, taking care to deftly leap over the remaining cracks in the floor.

"What took you so long!?" He shouted, but Rydia ignored him, instead pointing her finger at the imposter, who was curled up on the floor in a pathetic heap, clawing at the holy mist that was blinding her eyes.

 _Rydia…it's really her!_ Cecil climbed to his feet, pulling the twins up along with him and leading them to Rydia's mist dragon.

"I can't believe you used my friends for something like this…I will NEVER forgive you!" Rydia screamed, and raised her hand, her eyes flashing crimson. "METEOR!"

A barrage of burning stars convened upon the impostor, pouring through the black hole that had ripped open in the ceiling and juggling her limp body about like a ragdoll. When the stellar assault ended, the girl was left tossed onto her back, her hair splayed out and her bloody clothes torn to shreds. Her legs were bent into unnatural, painful positions, and her hand was weakly grasping at an open, weeping wound on her abdomen. Her eyes briefly popped open, and flickered from green to pale amber before stubbornly returning to the green she had stolen from the real Rydia. Though her lips didn't move, Cecil could swear he heard her cold, distant voice in his ear.

 _I hope you liked the dream I showed you, Cecil…a little gift from the crystals to show what could have been._

"What…?" Cecil whispered, pressing his hands to his ears. Could she possibly mean the dream with Theodor and his family? Palom and Porom stared up at him, but didn't say anything.

The girl cracked a smile as if to acknowledge his suspicions, and in a flash of light, burst into a haze of glittering gray dust.

"She disappeared…" Edge shook his head.

Cecil closed his eyes, his heart aching as he recalled how real it had felt, however briefly, to have his family by his side. How could have every detail felt and looked so perfect? Even though he had never seen their faces, he somehow _knew_ they had been replicated just as they would have been in reality if they were to stand before him today.

 _How could she have managed such a feat?_

"But just who was she…?"

* * *

In an empty crystal chamber in the upper spire of the Tower of Babil, the mysterious girl climbed one of the eight daises, pausing as she stood at the ledge where the crystal would have rested, if one had been here. Even though the crystals had not been gathered in this place for some time – at least a year, according to her calculations – she could still feel the remnants of their divine power in the air.

Although the mission had been a success, she was disappointed – had she had more time to bathe in the crystal's light, she was sure she would have been able to achieve her objective faster. But the Sealed Cave's monsters being roused by her presence was an unforeseen problem that brought unwanted attention from those infernal insects. She knew her master would be glad to have this information, but she wondered if she would be scolded for having her fun with the insect they had called Cecil. She never thought a being of such pure light would be in a place like this – it had been too tempting for her to play with her half-breed prey before swallowing him whole, and _still_ he had gotten the best of her.

 _Oh well_ …any flaws would be overwritten until there was only perfection. Her master would ensure it – even if it took a hundred years. They had nothing but time, after all.

Stripping off the remains of her filthy rags, she then reached up to her hair, yanking out the broken hairpin. Effortlessly crushing it in her hand, she opened her fingers and let pulverized ruby dust spill over the dais steps. She closed her eyes and recited the passphrase.

"Eidolon system…completed."

Her flesh fading to gray and rendering transparent, she took a step forward, vanishing into the aether.

* * *

"Cecil?"

Cecil's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his name. He had retreated into the Falcon's hold after he, the twins, Edge and Rydia had escaped the Tower of Babil, and had intended to rest until they had reached the surface. However, sleep wouldn't come – the adrenaline from the battle with Rydia's doppelganger was still rushing through his veins, and his mind was alit with questions.

The five of them barely spoke as they made their way back to the ship – Cecil assumed that they had all been as stunned as he at what had just transpired. Cid had started to ask what was going on when Cecil boarded, but all Cecil could do was shake his head, and Cid took the hint. He didn't even attempt to sass Edge, which was usually one of Cid's favorite hobbies. And that had been when Cecil excused himself – he needed to process what had happened before he could even think about debriefing with the others.

But now Rydia – _their Rydia_ – was standing in the doorway, staring at him with worried eyes. Cecil gestured for her to come in, and she crossed the room to the bunk he had taken, sitting next to him. As he met her gaze, he was once again distraught that he hadn't seen through the impostor's disguise earlier. It all seemed so obvious to him now – even the way Rydia's head tilted inquisitively when she looked at him now was so distinctive.

"I just wanted to check up on you," Rydia said. "Cid and the others are worried – but I told them it might be best if only one of us came down."

"Thanks," Cecil sighed. "I'm still experiencing a bit of a sensory overload. This has been one of the most vexing thirty-six hours of my life."

"Even weirder than when we first met?" Rydia smiled a little, and Cecil couldn't help but smile back.

"I guess that was pretty bad too. It might be a tie."

She crossed her legs, leaning her cheek against her hand. "Yeah…it was pretty odd for me as well, seeing someone who could be my twin trying to murder my friends. I guess I went a little overboard with the Meteor spell."

"You saved our lives," Cecil shook his head, amazed at how effortlessly Rydia had slung one of the most powerful black magic spells like it was nothing – the girl couldn't even bring herself to cast a Fire spell last year when they first met. She had become even more powerful in the time they had been apart – frighteningly so. "She wouldn't have answered any of our questions anyway, even if you hadn't finished her off. I just can't believe she managed to trick us all, except Edge."

"Edge?" Rydia raised her eyebrows. Cecil didn't pick up on the sudden lift in her tone. "What do you mean?"

"It had just been the twins, Cid, Luca and me up until we reached the tower," Cecil said. "We only ran into Edge shortly before confronting your impostor. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he announced she was a fake. That's when she went berserk and attacked us with the eidolons – he blew her cover."

Rydia bit down on her lip, not liking the way her heart had suddenly started hammering in her chest.

"I'm such a fool…" Cecil buried his head in his hands. "I still can't see what's right in front of my face. I guess some things never change."

Rydia reached up, gently resting her small, white hand over his. "I can sense that perhaps there is more to this than just our false friend. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I…" Cecil slid his hands down, and Rydia could see his eyes were rimmed with tears. "…I've been living in the past…trying to change the unchangeable. This entire journey, all I was able to think about was what _had_ happened to us a year ago, and not what was happening right now. It clouded my judgment – for a while, I even suspected that it could have been Kain behind the incident in the Sealed Cave. Before we left for Damcyan, Rosa asked me what we would do if Kain never came home, and I just shut down – the thought of her mourning the loss of her friend because of _me_ just drives me to change all the more – but I can't do anything about it. It's an endless cycle of agony."

"Cecil…" Rydia shook her head. "Don't you realize that you, in a way, are in mourning too? It's not just Kain…I know it was hard for you when Golbez decided not to return with us to our planet. Even if you still don't entirely forgive him for what he did – he was still your brother, and now you wonder when or if you'll ever be able to rectify that relationship. But maybe before you consider what it means to forgive either of them, you forgive yourself first." She squeezed his hand. "Being a paladin doesn't mean you'll never have darkness in your heart again. But it's surely proof that you're capable of overcoming that darkness – again, and again, and again. And Rosa, Edge and I…we'll always be by your side if you should need aid."

Cecil lifted his head and looked at his young, but so very wise friend – one of the most important people in his life who had taught him what it truly meant to forgive after the unspeakable acts he had taken against her people – and he knew that every word she spoke was true. Rydia's impostor had known nothing – she had merely been a false prophet. She hadn't brought any revelations to light with her teasing dreams – just crippling doubt and fear, meant only to weaken him.

"Thank you, Rydia…your words comfort me greatly, as always. I do wish you would consider coming home – well, to Mist, that is. The surface world continues to have need of good, beautiful souls like your own. And Rosa and I miss you."

Rydia blushed slightly, and turned away. She still wasn't sure how she felt about ever coming back to Mist – she had still not yet shed the mantle of anguish and heartache that the agony of the war had laid upon her – but knowing that at least one person wanted her around made her want to take it under advisement.

Rydia stood up, extending her hand. "We'll be to the surface soon. Where should we tell Cid to head next?"

Cecil took her hand, and let her haul him away from the bed. "Let's go to Fabul – I want to check on Rosa. And…there's someone there you need to meet."

"Hmmm?" Rydia smiled. "A surprise?!" Cecil could only grin in reply.

Back up on the deck, Cecil caught Luca, Rydia, Cid and Edge up on what had occurred inside the Tower of Babil. When he finished their story, Luca could only angrily shake her head.

"I knew something was wrong! But…I was afraid to say anything…I didn't want to upset what I thought was the real you, Rydia – and I didn't want anyone to be angry with me, after everything Cecil, Master Cid, Palom and Porom did for us."

"Luca, you should never be afraid to speak your mind!" Rydia admonished. "If you're ever going to be the chief of your own airship someday, you have to be totally transparent to your crew! Right, Cid?"

"Absolutely," Cid nodded. "If there is only one good thing about Edge, it's his ability to speak candidly. I would allow it if that was the only habit you ever picked up from him."

"Listen here, you interminable blowhard…" Edge glared. "…If you cleaned out your hair-ridden ears, you would have heard the part of Cecil's story where I saved your boy's sorry arse…so a little thanks would go a long way!"

Cid glared back, clenching his fist as smoke rose out of his ears. Porom winced, as she was most unfortunately standing between the two men, and cleared her throat to interrupt them before they dove on top of each other.

"Ahem! Rydia, if I may ask…why didn't you come to Damcyan? And how did you know to come to the Tower of Babil?"

"Oh!" Rydia blinked. "Well, I had every intention of coming…but when I reached the underworld proper, I was not able to summon Bahamut, so I was stranded. Of course, that indicated a bigger problem for me as well…I ran back home to find Leviathan and Asura, and Asura told me about the monsters that were pouring out of the Sealed Cave. When even they could not communicate with Bahamut, they agreed to help teleport me to the mainland so I could ask King Giott to borrow the Falcon and find you. But when I got there…" Rydia raised an eyebrow in Luca's direction, "…Imagine my surprise when Giott told me his daughter had stolen the Falcon from right under his nose!"

"Oh dear," Luca covered her mouth. "I just remembered I am going to be in huge trouble when I get home."

"So I stayed to help Giott fight off the monsters that had made their way to the mainland – and while doing so, discovered I had lost my ability to summon some of my eidolons. One of his men spotted the Falcon flying toward the Tower of Babil, so I took off on foot to see what was going on. That's when I eventually found you."

"And Edge saw the tower glow from Eblan, which would explain why he never arrived in Damcyan either…" Cecil shook his head. "You said you had a dream too, right Edge? What was it like?"

"Er…" Edge crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. "I can't really remember. Just that a familiar voice was calling me to the tower. So off I went!" _There is no way in hell I am telling them I dreamt of Rydia…she'll never take me seriously again!_

"Without any of your ninjas? You could have been killed," Rydia said dryly. "What kind of fool runs off to the Tower of Babil alone, especially after knowing what treachery goes on there?"

"I'm looking at one!" Edge hissed. "What about you, missy? Couldn't you have just waited like a good girl at the castle?"

"Oh, you'd like that!" Rydia spat. "I should have let my impostor smack you around a bit more before rescuing you!"

"Whoa…" Palom muttered, shaking his head. "Why don't they just make out already and get it over with?"

"Palom!" Porom gasped, yanking his braid roughly. "Inappropriate! Where in the world did you hear language like that?"

No one had heard the twins bickering, however – Rydia and Edge's decibel levels were rising with each newly-slung insult.

"Don't act like you're all high and mighty just because you're some kind of monster princess now! I could have taken fake-Rydia on just fine on my own! I had these kids to think about though, you know?" He gestured toward Palom and Porom, who responded with eye rolls.

"Don't drag us into this, man," Palom grunted. Cecil and Porom looked at each other in disbelief.

"Monster princess!? If you ever bothered to drop by and say "Hello" once in a while, you'd know I live a life nothing of the sort!"

"Bothered to drop by…?" Edge blinked. "What are you talking about? I came to the Feymarch months ago, and some stupid little bird told me he would fetch you because I wasn't allowed in the village. When you never came out, I figured you were too busy to bother!" His cheeks were visibly reddening, obvious even under his cowl.

"What…?" Rydia gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth as she remembered the conversation she had had in front of the library before leaving for Edward's party. "Oh no… _Chocobo_! He only told me that recently…and he couldn't even remember who came! That was you…?"

Edge whirled around, crossing his arms over his chest and jutting his chin out. "Save it – we've all had a hell of a day. I'm proposing that we throw a wicked party when we get to Fabul to celebrate our hard work. It's not like Harley is going to let us party in Damcyan – that chick is wound way too tightly."

"Um, it might also be because you missed the party she already threw," Porom pointed out gently. She liked Harley and felt a kindred spirit with her – she liked that she didn't let the men in her life run the show – and that she had the gall to put Palom in his place was just a bonus.

"We'll see what Yang says…" Cecil trailed off. Edge had no idea that the newest resident of Fabul Castle was calling the shots, and that a party would most definitely be a no. But he decided to let Edge find that out on his own.

Cid, who had left in the middle of Rydia and Edge's awkward tantrum to pretend to supervise the dwarf who had taken over flying the Falcon, called out his commands.

"Prepare for landing, men! Luca, get over here – I want you to watch this time. Please make note that we are not going anywhere _near_ the harbor…"

* * *

Cecil was surprised to see that it was Yang himself who arrived at Fabul's drawbridge to greet them. Twilight was beginning to settle into the horizon, and many of the guards were getting anxious for their shift change, calling jokes to each other and acting squirrely. But as soon as Yang strode up to the gates, they all snapped to attention, wiping their smiles from their faces. It made Cecil laugh – he wondered if the Baronian guards acted the same way around him – they never would have taken him seriously before he became king.

"My friends, you're back!" Yang exclaimed. "And Rydia and Edge, too! This is a pleasant surprise."

"Yang!" Rydia cried, throwing her arms around him. He embraced her tightly, and nodded to Edge over her shoulder. Edge gave a half-nod back, still in a snit.

"Yang, is Rosa all right!?" Cecil burst out. Yang pulled away from Rydia, who blinked confusedly. Even Edge had the decency to look concerned.

"What's wrong with Rosa?" Rydia bit her lip.

"Please don't worry, she is recovering well from her fainting spell yesterday," Yang replied. "I asked Kaya – our nation's best healer – to keep a keen eye on her while she was not with Sheila, and this morning she recommended that Rosa go home to rest somewhere more comfortable for her. The Red Wings picked her up and I've been assured she is back in Baron, safe and sound."

"Thank you…" Cecil sighed. "It's because of you that I did not have to worry while we were away." He and Cid exchanged looks of relief.

"Well, if she's quite all right, then I suppose a celebration is in order?" Edge grinned. "Yang, what do you say to breaking open the Fabulian liquor reserves? We've got enough stories to keep you drinking all night!"

"Ah…" Yang laughed nervously, his nose turning pink as he remembered what had happened the last time he was at a spirit-fueled celebration with Edge, which would have been Cecil's wedding. His mind had conveniently censored out some of the more obscene comments Edge had made while he shared stories of his love life. The Red Wings had been cheering him on, so he hadn't noticed that Yang was dying from embarrassment. "Well, I'm afraid that's just not possible for two reasons. One, Fabul is a dry nation – and two, well…"

"Why don't ya'all go celebrate in Baron?" came Shelia's voice from behind, and Yang whirled around. She was wearing long taupe dressing robes that skimmed over top her bare feet, her violet hair plaited neatly over her shoulder. In her arms, reason number two, otherwise known as Princess Ursula, was sleeping, pink-faced and drooling. "Honey, you should go – having you around here for a whole day has been too much for me. Ursula and I need our space – you have my blessing."

"Is that…?" Rydia gasped. "Yang, you…"

"Oh jeeze," Edge sighed. "I can't get away from these things…" Sheila snarled, and Edge quickly cleared his throat. "I mean, congratulations! _Honestly_. That's my official statement as King of Eblan."

"Don't quit your day job, darlin'," Sheila sighed.

Rydia fawned all over Princess Ursula, and Luca and the twins joined in too, taking turns holding her. Even Palom was gentle, and maybe even a little in awe at the tiny girl in his arms. Cid, Cecil, Edge and Yang looked at each other.

"So, party at Cecil's place?" Edge asked hopefully. Cid narrowed his eyes.

"Boy, why are you so anxious to not return home?"

"Well…" Edge laughed, scratching his head. "I might have lied about where I was going, and surely people have figured out by now that I did not actually make it to Damcyan. I figure I better let them cool off before heading back, you know?"

"That explains it," Cecil smiled, shaking his head. "Seneschal is going to be calling for your head."

"But I really do think we should talk about what happened," Edge added, his tone just slightly more serious. "If you think about it that way, it's just a work thing. We have to tell the others what we saw in the Tower of Babil so they can keep an eye out – just in case."

"I _suppose_ I am no longer welcome in my own home…" Yang glanced back at Sheila, who was laughing while Porom gave Ursula gentle raspberries on her stomach.

"We have to go to Damcyan anyway to pick up the Enterprise," Cid mused. "…We could pick up Edward along the way. He deserves a do-over anyway – since we kind of ditched his party early."

"All right, all right," Cecil threw up his hands. "As long as we keep it contained to the throne room. Edge is right – we should share what we know."

Yang nodded. "I could tell by the looks on your faces when you arrived that you had been through quite a trial. I'm anxious to learn how I can help."

"Yes!" Edge cheered, pumping his fist. "Come on, kids! I'm going to show you how we celebrate in Eblan!"

"Oh no," Rydia muttered, not being able to help but overhear Edge's plans. "Well, I suppose I'd better go with them. Sheila – please let me know when you need a babysitter!"

"Of course dear," Sheila smiled. "Go on with yourself, and have a wonderful night. Ya'all look like you need it."

* * *

After stopping in Damcyan to recover the Enterprise and to convince a bemused Edward to join them, Cecil and the others arrived in Baron as the night's first stars began to shyly twinkle from above. Leaving Cid to get the others to the throne room so they could get settled, Cecil raced to the western tower where his bedchamber was situated; hoping Rosa was there since there had only been a few guards to greet them, with none of them claiming to see the queen since her arrival home earlier that morning.

The door to the bedchamber was ajar, revealing a pale spill of candlelight in the hall. Cecil quietly pushed the door open the rest of the way, and saw Rosa sitting up in the middle of their bed, dressed in a pink lace cropped bodice with her hair lifted in a high ponytail, exposing the white curve of her shoulders. She was inattentively playing with a petite orb of Cure magic that she was crafting between cupped hands, the light just bright enough to illuminate her flushed cheeks. When Cecil's shadow fell over her, she looked up, surprised, the magic dissipating in her hands and leaving only the wall sconce's flickering candlelight to fill the room. The window next to the bed was wide-open, letting in the mercifully cool night air.

"Cecil!" She gasped. "You're home! I thought I heard some commotion outside, but…"

He crossed the room, nearly knocking her into the headboard as he climbed into the bed and threw his arms around her. She returned the embrace, closing her eyes as she pressed her lips to his hair. When he pulled away, she moved over few inches in the bed to make room, quietly watching him settle in next to her. His hair was a tangled mess and smelled like smoke and the igneous rocks of the underworld, and she could see that part of his chest plate had gone missing, exposing torn clothing underneath and a flash of pale pink skin. The rest of his armor was scratched to hell, like he had been in a battle with a razor blade. He caught her staring, and smiled slightly.

"I'm all right. And so is everyone else."

"Thank goodness…" Rosa's lip quivered, and Cecil leaned in, taking her face in his hands as he trailed his lips down her forehead, nose, and mouth, murmuring.

"I was most worried about you. Please rest easy…I want you well again."

She looked up at him, pressing her forehead to his.

"But I am well, Cecil."

He blinked, his hand absentmindedly twisting a lock of her hair around his fingers. "Then what…?"

She sighed happily in reply, pulling his hand out of her hair and tugging his glove off, letting it drop to the floor. Taking hold of his hand again, she guided it under the sheets that had pooled in her lap. His eyes followed in confusion, watching as she pressed his palm into her bare abdomen and held it there. He looked up at her, feeling a blush crawl up his cheeks at how warm and soft her skin felt – even after all this time, he still couldn't believe only he knew what all of her felt like.

"What is this about…?" Cecil couldn't resist tracing his thumb over her belly button, and Rosa smiled brightly, the light of the lone candle in the room reflecting back at him as brilliantly as one of the planet's crystals. It had been the happiest he had seen her look in months, he realized with a pang of sadness – something else he had quietly accepted as their new normal.

"I'm about two months along," Rosa said softly. "Right as we start the new year, we'll be welcoming a son or daughter." She squeezed his hand tightly. "You're going to be a father, Cecil. Can you believe it?"

Cecil was dumbfounded – all he could hear in his mind was radio static. He stared at his hand on Rosa's stomach for what felt like hours, and then looked back up at her eyes, and then down to his hand once more. The entire time, the hopeful smile never left her lips. His voice shook as the weight of her declaration finally began to sink deep into his heart, pushing out the fear and apprehension he had been carrying within him since they had come home from the moon.

 _I'm going to be a father._

 _And Rosa…she's going to be their mother. The mother of my child. The mother to our kingdom's legacy._

 _We've been given the chance to have the kind of family neither of us had…_

"You're sure…right?" He whispered. It had been the first thing he could choke out. "This whole time we thought you were sick, you've…"

"…Been exhibiting some fairly common pregnancy symptoms, according to Queen Sheila's midwife," Rosa couldn't help but laugh. "It certainly wasn't the first thing on my mind though – not with everything else that has been going on. It's not like we've been trying."

"But we haven't _not_ been trying," Cecil blushed, and they laughed together. "This is…surreal."

"Are you happy?" Rosa tilted her head. Cecil nodded fervently, bringing his other hand to her abdomen and fanning his fingers over her skin.

 _I'm terrified too,_ Cecil thought. _But…oh gods, I am so, so happy._

"Our child is in here," Cecil breathed. His heart was beating so fast that he could barely catch his breath. "I never dreamed I'd come home to news like this. Does anyone else know?"

Rosa shook her head. "Just the midwife. She said she would be willing to travel to Baron when the time comes for the little one's debut, if we wanted."

"We'll do whatever _you_ want," Cecil murmured, lowering himself to his hands and knees and brushing his lips over her stomach. "Whatever you need in the coming months, it's yours."

"I…" Rosa sighed dreamily and sank back against the pillows, closing her eyes. "…I think we can talk about that later…" She ran her fingers through his hair encouragingly, and felt a shiver run up her spine as her started to move his lips higher, toward the fringe of her bodice.

 _"CRASH!"_

"Edge, you idiot!" Cid's unmistakable snarl echoed as if he were standing right below them.

"Hahahaha…sorry about that…!" The laughter faded away.

Cecil stopped and lifted his head, and Rosa's eyes snapped open, both of them looking out the open window at the same time.

"Um…did you bring company?" Rosa asked, and Cecil laughed nervously.

"Actually, _everyone_ is here…Edge thought it might be a good idea to talk about what happened today. I told them to stay in the throne room though…"

Rosa raised her eyebrows, and Cecil reluctantly sat up straight, pushing his hair from his eyes sheepishly. "Maybe…we can continue our conversation later."

"I think that's a good idea," Rosa smiled, shaking her head. "You know better than to think Edge can follow directions – and it sounds like he's going to give Cid a coronary. But if everyone is really here…maybe I'll join you later. I really am feeling much better – I just want to rest a little more. Kaya says that as long as I don't go on anymore "adventures" for the time being, that I should be OK."

"Take your time," Cecil stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure they're going to be here all night. But…what should I tell them when I go back down? Everyone's going to be asking how you are."

Rosa gazed out the window again, entranced by the moon rising over Baron Village, a sliver of shadow indicating it had entered its waning cycle once again. "Tell them the truth."

Cecil crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you sure…?"

"I'm positive – I don't want anyone to worry about me. It's gotten kind of exhausting, having people look upon me with pity." She turned back to Cecil, and he was stunned to see that her eyes were glistening with tears, but still, she was smiling. "Actually…it's quite perfect this way. I want _all_ of them to be part of our child's life – so I want them to find out at the same time as you and I. When I think of it that way…it means everything up until this point has happened the way it was supposed to, don't you think?"

Cecil watched as a tear escaped and slid down her cheek, disappearing as she flicked it away with swipe of her finger. She sighed wearily, and draped a hand over her stomach, the band of her ring shining against the pale stretch of skin peeking out from the sheets. He knew at that moment that they were both thinking about the one person missing from downstairs who should have been reveling in their joy along with them.

 _Rosa…how could I ever have thought that you would turn away from me, when you ache as much as I? We're two sides of the same heart…I realize that now, more than ever. Maybe this isn't the life we imagined after the war, but it's the life we were meant to have for right now. And together, you and I can build the future of our dreams – one that our child can look forward to._

"…You're right," Cecil nodded. "The only fate I will ever rally against is one where you are not by my side."

"I will never let it come to pass," Rosa said softly, closing her eyes. Within moments, her breathing had steadied, indicating she was asleep. Cecil left the bedchamber quietly and blew out the candle nestled in the wall sconce next to the door, plunging the room in darkness save for the path of moonlight trailing from the heavens above.

* * *

Downstairs, Rydia was standing off to the side, contemplating the scene before her. Edward and Yang were talking excitedly about Ursula, with Edward furiously taking notes – he was already composing a new song in his head in honor of the world's newest princess. Palom, Porom and Luca were hungrily digging into the cookies Cid and Edge had managed to sneak from the kitchen – or at least, what had been left of them after Edge tripped in the courtyard and sent the massive silver tray they were on flying, causing a huge ruckus. Palom was bragging about his battles in the Sealed Cave, and Rydia could see Porom rolling her eyes all the way from where she was standing. Luca, however, looked absolutely entranced – Rydia could sense trouble on the horizon for that poor girl.

 _I guess I can't blame her too much though…it's easy to fall for the wrong guy…all flash, no substance. When she's older, someone will have to explain it all to her…I guess it will have to be me._ The thought of King Giott talking about boys with Luca nearly sent Rydia into a laughing fit – it was never going to happen.

Cid was coming and going with more food – he had banned Edge from helping anymore and had told him to stay in the throne room, or else he would have the Baronian guard arrest him. Edge was sulking on Cecil's throne, his legs draped over the arm, nursing a bottle of champagne he had lifted from the kitchen prior to his banning. As Rydia watched him, she could feel her feet involuntarily shuffling forward, and before she knew it, she was at his side.

Edge looked up at her, and offered her the bottle. She shrugged, and took it, throwing back a huge swig.

"Edge…" Rydia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and handed the bottle back to him. "Cecil told me on the Falcon that you were the only one to recognize the impostor as a fake…is that true?"

Edge nearly choked, spraying champagne out of his mouth as he sat up straighter on the throne. She could see a streak of pink creep over the bridge of his slender nose. "Er…Why would Cecil lie about something like that? Has the man ever lied to you in the entirety of you knowing each other?"

Rydia smiled, and shook her head. "No…but I just wanted to be sure I heard him correctly. How did you know?"

Edge yanked his cowl back up over his mouth, despite suddenly feeling like it was one-hundred degrees in the blasted room. Setting the champagne aside, he stood up, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his finger against his upper arm, which Rydia couldn't help notice being very well-defined.

"I…I don't know! I mean, it was a lot of things…the vibe was totally wrong, first of all…you know how when someone enters a room, sometimes you just get a feeling from them? Well, hers was all murdery and angry, I guess. Second…" He shook his head, turning away. "…I just…had an instinct, OK? As a ninja, it's my job to know these kinds of things. And third…" Rydia could see his ears turning redder and redder. "…It was the hairpin. Hers was broken, and I know how much you treasure yours – it's your reminder of your connection to the Feymarch. You would never let it come to harm."

Rydia pressed her fingers to her lips, wondering if the sound of someone's heart could be heard pounding if their mouth was hanging open. Right on cue, a lock of her stubborn hair slipped from the hairpin, awkwardly flopping in her eyes. Edge looked back at her over his shoulder, wondering if she was going to say something smart-assed to him in reply – or anything, really. He noticed the lock of hair, and before he could stop himself, turned and reached toward her, gently tucking it back behind her ear. Rydia watched his fingers, but still didn't breathe a word.

"I…uh…I really like that you're trying to grow out your hair," Edge said quietly. "I think long hair on girls is beautiful…uh, not that it matters what I think."

"It doesn't matter," Rydia replied, just as quietly. But she leaned in, tugging down his cowl with her index finger and kissing him on the cheek so swiftly that he thought he had fantasized it. "But thanks for knowing who I really am." She released the cowl, and it sprung back up over his cheek.

"Rydia, come try one of these cookies!" Luca cried. "They're divine!" Rydia turned and walked away without a glance, leaving Edge speechless.

 _Damn…months of meditation and all that other mindfulness crap out the window – I should have known none of that would cure me. Rydia…what would have happened if you had come to see me in the Feymarch that day? I don't have many regrets in this life…but not knowing that is one of the top three._

The throne room doors opened behind them, and Cecil appeared, a partial smile on his lips as his crystal eyes swept the room. Cid turned away from a plate he was laying out, and scampered over to him.

"So how is she? Is Rosa feeling better?"

Cecil paused, suddenly realizing that he had no idea how to tell them. He had practically floated back to the throne room, and hadn't had a thought in his brain the entire trip.

"Well, she…" Cecil trailed off.

"Cecil?" Yang frowned. He prayed it wasn't bad news – he felt like Kaya would have disclosed to him as Rosa's caretaker if something was wrong – but she hadn't elaborated on why she had wanted Rosa sent home, either. She had just given the order, and he obeyed.

The room fell silent, and Cecil realized that eight pairs of eyes were scrutinizing him deeply. He blushed, running his fingers through his hair.

"She's fine…and in about seven months…we'll be welcoming a new arrival of our own."

There were gasps and cheers, and Cecil suddenly found himself surrounded by his friends, everyone talking at once and several hands slapping his back excitedly.

"You serious!?" Edge cried.

Cid looked like he was going to pass out.

"Congratulations, Cecil!" Rydia squealed. "Where's Rosa? When can I see her?!"

"Oh, it has been one miracle after another!" Luca sniffled, throwing her arms around Cecil's waist.

"So that means…Cecil's gonna be a dad, too!?" Palom blinked. "I hope your kid is cooler than you. Ursula has some hope, but…"

"You'll have to start thinking of names!" Porom giggled while simultaneously giving Palom a smack in the back of the head for his insolence.

Cecil rested his hands on his hips, pressing his lips together in thought.

 _Names…?_ One name immediately rose to top of mind – and he was sure Rosa would agree…

 _Cecilia for sure – if the baby's a girl._

But for a boy… _that was going to take some thought._

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Even after nearly a year's worth of sleeping under the stars, Kain still couldn't sleep in the light of a full moon without his helmet on. The moon's reflection was so bright – even more so, it seemed, after the red moon had disappeared from orbit – that it burned right through his closed eyes and made his body feel as if it were aflame with fever. Cursing under his breath, he tossed his blanket aside, and crawled out of his tent, deciding to take a walk first before settling back in again.

He briefly glanced back at the shrine he had made camp in front of – as usual, there was no indication that any holy power radiated from it any longer – the carved marble was dull and covered with years of grit and growth from the elements, and the door was rusted shut. However, it was thanks to the shrine that not one person dared to ascend the mountain – the legend of Mount Ordeals was still as real as ever to the local villagers and was his insurance that he would be left alone – the mountain had accepted one soul, bequeathed it with light, which meant none other were worthy and would only suffer death upon attempt, according to the legend.

Kain had not been totally isolated, despite his best efforts – there would be times where an unusual number of airships would comb through the area, which Kain was sure was Cecil's doing. What other business would the Red Wings have in the Mysidian region anymore if not to search for someone? Being without the usual chatter and interaction one would normally experience in a day, Kain's hearing had become very keen, and he could usually pick up on an airship's rotors long before he could spot one in the sky. During those times, he would merely hide in one of the mountain's passages until the threat had passed.

He encountered other unsettling moments when he would sneak into Mysidia for supplies, or to the forest to hunt for food – he always went in disguise, which consisted of discarded clothes he would find on dead travelers in the woods, or sometimes his own clothing, sans dragoon armor. He had been tempted to cut his long blonde hair, but always ended up wearing it under cloaks or hats instead. Sometimes he felt like he would get suspicious looks from the villagers, even though Mysidia was becoming more and more populous with strangers these days, thanks to the war ending and the exploding popularity of studying magic.

His paranoia had reached an all-time high when he once literally bumped into Porom, the young girl mage Cecil had traveled with for a brief time. He had fled in terror when she gazed up at him apologetically, offering to pay for the potion he had dropped. It was only when he was safely back on Mount Ordeals that he realized that she would have never recognized him – he had only seen her through the mysterious apparatus Golbez would use to spy on Cecil – they had never actually met.

It was moments like that that made him question if he was doing the right thing – the loneliness was unbearable, and although he had become quite the survivalist, he would be kidding himself if he claimed to not long for his old bed, his old room, in a safe castle that had no exposure to the elements.

But he _needed_ to be alone – of that he had no doubt. He could never bring himself to ensnare Cecil or Rosa into any more of his struggles, ever again. The degradation, the suffering – everything he had inflicted upon his friends, he wanted to feel too, one-hundred fold. He trained, meditated, and prayed without fail every day, all in an effort to drive away the darkness he could sense had taken root deep within his soul and to become a strong enough dragoon that he would never fall to it again.

Zemus had said before he perished that _all_ men held darkness in their hearts – but Kain felt that there must have been something exceptionally evil about his heart that had made him such an easy target for Golbez. That had been what frightened him the most about the war – losing control over his mind and having his secret thoughts twisted into something ugly and stained with jealousy – transforming them into weapons used against his friends and comrades. He still couldn't even remember the exact moment he had become enthralled by Golbez, or time after – those days had been robbed from him, possibly forever – so he had no way of truly knowing what had made him so vulnerable that fateful day.

 _I long for my own hallowed light to save me from myself…to save Cecil and Rosa from my darkness…_ Kain collapsed to his knees next to a gnarled, dying tree at the edge of the cliff he would frequently meditate on. _But still, I know I harbor dark thoughts in my heart of hearts…in daylight, I temper my strength and mind to become worthy of my father's legacy, the Dragoon Knights of Baron…but in moonlight, I dream of revenge, driven by mad jealousy…I cannot return until I know I have control over my real self again!_

Lowering his head, Kain closed his eyes, clutching his hands together in prayer – it was the same prayer he offered to the heavens every night when he was wracked with insomnia brought on by the phases of the full moon.

 _Deliver me from the sins I have laid against brother, friend and country…_

A bitter wind whipped through the summit, stinging Kain's ears and entangling in his hair. He shivered, lowering his head more and hunching his shoulders. There came a more powerful gust, carrying along with it a distant whisper as it made the barren tree branches rattle above him.

"You…"

Kain raised his head hesitantly, opening his eyes. He could swear that he saw a flicker of light in the peripheral of his vision, and stood up, gazing toward the shrine. However, nothing had changed – it remained a pale, dead monument, bathed in moonlight and nothing more.

"Dragoon…"

Kain gasped, taking a few steps forward. This time, for sure, he had heard something – and it was definitely coming from the shrine. The voice had sounded trapped – there was no echo riding the wind.

Kain cautiously approached the shrine, trying to peer inside. He thought he could see the tiniest spark of light from deep within – it was hard to tell if it was coming from within the shrine itself or a reflection from the moon. Kain tried tugging on the door once more, but it did not give.

"Who's there…?" Kain whispered.

His hair lifted in another bone-chilling gust of wind – but with it came no reply.

* * *

 _Continued in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years_


End file.
